Get Me To The Church On Time - for norgbelulah
Title: Get Me To The Church On Time
Author: tellshannon815
Fandom: Fringe
Gift for: norgbelulah
Characters/Pairing: Altlivia/AltLincoln, AltCharlie/Mona the bug girl, Alt!Broyles, Henry Higgins, Alt!Astrid, Walternate.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 4912
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They own me.
Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers for S3 and S4 of Fringe, set in the altered timeline in Redverse.
Summary: Charlie is about to marry Mona, and Altlivia and Lincoln arrange for the three of them to take a road trip to Florida for the ceremony.
Author’s Note: Thanks to jaune_chat for the beta!
“I still can’t believe it, our Charlie’s getting married,” Lincoln said as he, Charlie and Olivia made their way out of Fringe Division.
“I can’t believe what you did to me on the stag weekend!” Charlie snorted. Lincoln had tied him up and sent him on a zeppelin to Louisiana Territory. “Or that you’re still my best man, come to that.”
“Just wait for my speech. I got plenty of better stories than that which I bet you never told Mona.” Lincoln laughed. Olivia joined in, saying “I read the first draft of it, and I already lost count of the number of references to bugs.”
Charlie rolled his eyes. “Cut it out, guys.”
“Seriously, though, are you nervous?” Olivia asked. “You only have a week to go, and it did all happen kind of fast.”
“Well, I guess I kind of realized that life was too short to wait around.” Olivia knew what he meant; it had come as a shock to Charlie when he found out that his counterpart from the alternate universe had been killed by a shapeshifter from their own side, and it had caused him to re-evaluate his own life at the time. It had been this discovery that had prompted Charlie to take the plunge and ask Mona to marry him.
“That, and the fact that Mona was the only girl who could see past your bugs,” Lincoln laughed.
“They’re not bugs,” Charlie began as he had so many times before, and the other two chimed in “They’re arachnids!”
“So, are you guys all packed?” Lincoln changed the subject. Charlie and Mona were getting married in Florida, and Charlie, Lincoln and Olivia were going to travel down there together by car. “Road trip, all three of us, just like it used to be,” Charlie had suggested, and Lincoln and Olivia had jumped at the chance. A week with her two best friends, that was just what Olivia needed right now, to take her mind off everything.
“Just about,” Olivia replied. “Just need to add a few more things and then I’m done.”
“So, Frank still not coming, huh?” Charlie asked.
“He’s going to be tied up with that cholera outbreak over in Carolina for a while yet. But he says he’s sorry.” Olivia forced a smile.
“That must bring back memories of when you first got together.” Lincoln mused. “Have to remember the Love In The Time Of Cholera reference for my speech when it’s your turn.”
“Hey, who says she’s gonna ask you to speak?” Charlie elbowed him in the ribs. Lincoln was about to say something else, but was distracted by Colonel Phillip Broyles walking over to them.
“Agent Francis.” Broyles began. “I just wanted to wish you luck for next week.”
“Thank you, sir.” Charlie smiled.
“My family and I will be flying down the day before your wedding.” Broyles continued.
“Mona and I are really happy that Chris is getting better all the time and is going to be well enough to be there.” Olivia hadn’t been part of the Division when Chris Broyles had been taken by the Candyman, but she knew what a big step it was for Chris to be able to fly to Florida with his parents.
“We all are,” Olivia added. “Well, I better go and finish off the last of my packing. You guys want to meet for one last beer when I’m done?”
“If you’re anything like Mona when it comes to packing, that means we’ll see you in about four hours.” Charlie teased her.
“Come on, you know how Liv hates packing, do you not remember our last road trip when we turned up to collect her and she’d hardly packed a thing? At least you’re starting earlier this time, Liv. Gives you more time to figure out how you’re gonna get the kitchen sink in your bag.” Lincoln replied.
“Funny. See you later.” Olivia shook her head as she walked off. Funny guys, both of them.
God, she’d missed them .
-------
“How much did you pack, Liv?” Charlie groaned as he hoisted Olivia’s suitcase into the trunk. (It was easily twice the size of either his or Lincoln’s).
“Well, now that you mention it, I think there may be a few more things I’ve forgotten, can we go back for them?” Olivia joked.
Mona walked over to them. “Now, you two make sure you take good care of him, both of you, I want him in one piece for Saturday. And in Florida, not on a zeppelin half way somewhere else,” she added, glaring at Lincoln.
“Who, me?” Lincoln asked, raising his eyebrows. “Don’t worry. We’ll get him there.”
“You’d better. Have a great time, all of you, and I’ll see you at the church.” Mona threw her arms around Charlie and kissed him, then hugged Lincoln and Olivia. “You know, I’m glad that you guys are going to be with Charlie for this week. Because you’ve been the closest thing he’s had to family in a long time, you know?” Olivia did. Charlie didn’t talk much about his family, but Olivia knew he was the first of them to make anything of his life and that he’d been desperate to put the days of being sent out to get his mother’s cigarettes behind him. He hadn’t said much the day they’d had to amber the neighborhood where he’d lived for his teenage years, but Olivia knew that there was a large part of him that had not been sorry that that had happened.
“Right, first stop, Coney Island.” Charlie turned to Olivia with a smug grin on his face as he got into the passenger seat while Olivia took the wheel. “Let’s see which of us throws up on the rollercoaster this time.”
“How come he gets to ride shotgun first?” Lincoln complained.
“Because he’s the groom.” Charlie replied. “Look, you’ll get your turn. Besides, Coney Island isn’t that far."
“So, looking forward to the rollercoaster?” Olivia grinned as she poked Charlie in the ribs.
Charlie laughed. “You watch, Liv. You’ll see who can hold the contents of their stomach this time.”
“A twenty says he pukes,” Olivia whispered in Lincoln’s ear, and he nodded.
“Yeah, yeah, all right,” Charlie rolled his eyes. “You have your fun.”
“Oh, we will,” Lincoln grinned and elbowed Olivia.
One ride on the Cyclone, one stop for Charlie to clean himself up in the restroom, and one twenty-dollar bill handed over by Lincoln to Olivia later, Charlie decided to try and redeem himself by suggesting they all go on the Parachute Jump.
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Lincoln asked. “I mean, are you sure your stomach can take it? What do you think, Liv?”
“You know, the Parachute Jump Over There got closed down years ago,” Olivia mused without answering Lincoln. “I’d never cared about it that much before, but once I knew I couldn’t go on it there, I was kinda curious. I say let’s do it.”
“Well, I guess it’ll give me another story for my speech, about how you puked twice at Coney Island,” Lincoln shrugged.
One ride on the Parachute Jump, one stop for Lincoln to clean himself up in the restroom, four gloating comments by Charlie and questions about whether he really wanted to include it in his speech after all, and one suggestion by Olivia that they stick to the kiddie rides instead, Lincoln was more than ready to leave Coney Island.
------
“So, if this were Over There, would we be having real coffee with this?” Charlie asked.
“Oh God, yes,” Olivia winced as she took a mouthful of what passed for coffee in their universe. “That’s about the only thing I miss about it. Well, that and avocados.”
“Liv, I should have said this a long time ago.” Lincoln reached out and touched her arm. “I’m sorry. You know, for not noticing that that wasn’t you. I feel like I should have. Charlie noticed something was off -“
“But I was pretty quick to let myself believe it when you told me I was nuts,” Charlie reminded him. “And when she knew what had happened at Coney Island, I was sure she was our Liv. Don’t beat yourself up too much about it.”
“He’s right, Lincoln. Don’t worry about it. No one else noticed. Not my mom, not Frank, not anyone. It’s okay.” In truth, Olivia had felt a little unsettled that no one had noticed, and had to admit to feeling a little relief the day when Charlie had let slip that he’d had his suspicions. The fact that Marilyn hadn’t noticed anything off had hurt her the most, although she knew that that was a little unreasonable; given that Marilyn didn’t even know about the existence of the other universe at the time, how could she be expected to have suspected? But she didn’t want to make a big thing out of it. She wanted to concentrate on this week with her two best friends, to get the chance to feel like the Olivia Dunham she’d always been. “Let’s forget about it. Move on. I want to spend this week with the two people I missed the most while I was over there.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Charlie raised his cup of the crappy substitute that passed for coffee in their universe, took a sip and grimaced as he swallowed.
“Wonder what it’s going to be like?” Lincoln asked. “Working with them, I mean.”
“Well, I know I’m not looking forward to working with her,” Olivia admitted. “Being her made me realize that the other person I missed was the real me.”
“I have to admit, I’m kind of curious about the other me,” Lincoln mused, but then caught the look on Charlie’s face and hastily said “But, uh, why are we even talking about work, anyway? We’re on vacation. So, uh, hope we find somewhere to stay in Carolina that’s better than the place in Annapolis.”
Olivia grinned. The motel in Annapolis had reminded her of the movie Psycho.
“Subtle.” Charlie smiled. “Look, it’s okay to mention it. Yeah, it was weird hearing about the other me, but I’ve got my head around it a bit more now. You don’t have to avoid the subject. But, you know, if you ever come across the records of how the other Charlie managed to get rid of his bugs...”
“I’ll tell you straight away. He’s still right though,” Olivia replied. “We are on vacation and shouldn’t really be thinking about work.”
“Guess not. So, heard anything from Frank today?” Lincoln asked.
Great, Olivia thought. Suddenly talking about work seemed a better option.
-------
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Charlie glared at the woman behind the reception desk. “I specifically booked three rooms.”
“I’m sorry,” the woman said, wringing her hands. “I honestly don’t know what happened. But we only have two double rooms available now.”
“It’s okay,” Olivia hastily interrupted. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll take what you have available. I don’t mind sharing with one of you guys. It’s only for a night.”
“You get the single room, Charlie,” Lincoln jumped in. “You’re the groom.” Charlie smiled to himself for a moment before replying “Couldn’t have put it better myself.”
“So, uh, Liv, which side of the bed do you prefer?” Lincoln asked.
“The left,” Olivia replied. Actually, she’d always had the right side when she’d shared with Frank, but she felt that she didn’t want to sleep on the same side of the bed that she had with him.
“Cool, I prefer the right anyway.” Lincoln threw his bags to the floor and started rummaging through them. “So, I added a few more things to my speech while we were on the way here. Wanna take a look at it, see if you have any suggestions before we go and eat? Do you think there’s too many references to bugs?”
Olivia took the speech from him, smiled to herself at some of the jokes, raised her eyebrows at a story involving strippers from Lincoln and Charlie’s academy days before she’d met them, then turned back to him. “Maybe that one could go, and that one.”
Lincoln read it over again, then hastily shoved it under the pillow as Charlie knocked on their door to collect them for their evening meal. “Wow, you guys, this room’s probably twice the size of mine. Sure you don’t want to swap with me, Lincoln?”
Lincoln shook his head. “Can you hear what Mona would say about you sharing a bed with someone other than her before your wedding?”
Charlie laughed. “You’re right. Come on, let’s go and eat.”
-----
“So, what do you reckon their story is?” Lincoln asked as they finished their main courses, pointing to a man who appeared to be in his sixties accompanied by a woman about forty years his junior.
“Like we even have to ask.” Charlie snorted as he watched them. “He’s definitely her sugar daddy. And we don’t even have to ask about them either.” He went on, gesturing towards a group of girls, one of them wearing a banner around her neck which spelled out “Bachelorette Weekend”.
“How about them?” Olivia grinned as she pointed to another couple. “Body language says she wants more out of the relationship, but he’s not so sure.”
Lincoln nodded. “I’m guessing they still don’t know each other that well yet. But I think you’re right that she definitely wants to get to know him better.”
Olivia got to her feet. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said, shaking her head as she made her way in the direction of the ladies’ room. It was weird - she had a strange feeling that she’d had a very similar conversation with someone at some point, but she had no idea who that would have been. She and Frank certainly never used to people-watch, and with Lincoln and Charlie they were usually too busy talking about other things to care about who was sitting at the next table.
As she reapplied her lipstick in the mirror, Olivia’s attention was caught by the sound of the restroom door swinging open.
“Friends. You’ve been friends for a long time, but the guy sat on your left wants to be more.” It was the woman who Olivia had thought wanted to be more than friends with her companion.
“Sorry, what?” Olivia asked.
“That’s what my friend and I thought you were. Your friend wants to be more than friends with you. And maybe you’re considering him that way too, although you might not know it yet. You got it right about us, by the way. Don’t know how you knew. So, am I right about you?”
“I - I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Olivia said as she turned to walk away. It was true that Lincoln had tried to kiss her at a party one Christmas before he knew that she and Frank were together, but that had been a long time ago, and Olivia had thought they had got past that now. Yet there was a part of her that wasn’t that sure that the other woman was wrong.
-------
“Hey, Liv, I just realized you hadn’t called to check in with Frank yet. Or were you thinking of trying to find some time to see him, since we’re in Carolina?” Lincoln asked after they’d said goodnight to Charlie.
“No, I’m not. Because this week’s about you, me and Charlie being together, just like the old times,” Olivia replied, but she could tell that Lincoln wasn’t buying it.
“In fact, I also noticed that you haven’t really been talking about him that much since we set off,” Lincoln continued. “Is there anything you wanna talk about?”
“He’s not here in Carolina, Lincoln. Frank and I broke up,” Olivia admitted at last, knowing she could no longer hide it. “A couple of weeks ago.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell us?” Lincoln asked.
“This is Charlie’s big moment,” Olivia explained. “I didn’t want to take anything away from his wedding. It’s supposed to be about him right now, not me. I was planning to keep it quiet until after the big day, and then tell you afterwards.”
“Okay, I kind of understand why you wouldn’t want to tell Charlie,” Lincoln began. “We both know he’s been nervous about the wedding, even though he’s never gonna admit it. And he’s always seen you and Frank as the couple to look up to, the ones that he hoped he and Mona would be like. Hell, even I could admit that at one point. Well, I’m still the perfect one and he was a close second. But why didn’t you tell me? I wouldn’t have told him until after the wedding.”
Olivia laughed in spite of herself. “Yeah, right. I know you can’t keep a secret. Have you forgotten how I found out Frank was planning to propose in the first place?”
Lincoln winced. “Touché. But I won’t mention it to Charlie, if that’s what you want. I can keep a secret when it really matters.”
“You totally can’t.” Olivia laughed. “But to be honest, it’s kind of a relief that you know now.”
“So, uh, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” Lincoln asked. “I mean, you seemed so happy.”
“Well, we’d actually been having problems for a while, and there’s a lot to it,” Olivia admitted. “That trip we went on to Annapolis? That was with the idea of patching things up. Things hadn’t been right since he got back from dealing with that smallpox outbreak in North Texas. He thought I’d gone all weird and distant on him, that I wasn’t myself on the phone. And, you know, for part of the time, it wasn’t me. It was her. And there was a part of me that was pissed off at him because he didn’t know, even though it was crazy. How could he have? It’s not like he even knew there was another universe.”
“Don’t be too hard on the guy for that, Liv,” Lincoln began. “Sounds like he had more of an idea than I did, for a start.”
“I know, that came out wrong. I admit I was kind of disappointed that he didn’t notice, or my mom. And when Charlie let slip that he had wondered at one time, I was glad that someone had noticed. But I’m not angry at any of you. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“So then what happened?” Lincoln asked.
“Well, you know that it was me he came back to, but it was her he’d been with when he left for North Texas. And I know he technically didn’t do anything wrong, since he didn’t know, and I was the one who put him in that position, but there was a part of me that was angry at him over what happened with her. Whatever it was; I’ve never known for sure. I didn’t want to. And the thing is, if the other Olivia had had a boyfriend at the time, I know I’d have had to have gone through the motions with him, whoever he was.”
“Well, if you’d had to cheat on Frank...” Lincoln began, but Olivia elbowed him in the ribs. “I know what you’re gonna say, and no, it wouldn’t have been with the other you. I only ever met him once, anyway, right when the bridge first opened, and trust me, it wouldn’t have happened. And in case you’re wondering, my impression is that he’s nothing like you.”
Lincoln laughed. “No one’s quite like me. So then what happened?”
“Well, you remember that trip Frank and I took to Annapolis right after that case we had with the exploding people? That was a way of trying to work things out. That’s why I didn’t want to stay in the place I used to go to with Frank, because it just reminded me of too much.”
“I remember when you came back, it was a couple of weeks afterwards I think, and you were really quiet for a while. It was around the time that Charlie and I found out that you’d switched with the other Olivia, and we wondered whether maybe you’d confessed to Frank or something.”
“No, it wasn’t that. It was because I had a pregnancy scare.”
“And Frank didn’t want it?” Lincoln guessed.
“Actually, he did, which was kind of the problem.”
“Damn it,” Lincoln muttered. “I forgot. The VPE.”
“We’d talked about it, not long after Rachel died, and we’d agreed we weren’t going to try for kids, but Frank...he really wanted it, I could tell. And when I took the test, and it was negative, he was so disappointed.”
“Even though he knew the risks to you if you went through with a pregnancy?” Lincoln asked.
“He said he wasn’t, he said that he understood that there were other options, and that besides, with my hours and the fact that his job takes him all over the country, our lifestyles weren’t exactly conducive to parenthood...But it was all words. I could tell. Eventually, I suggested that he’d be better off leaving me and finding someone he could actually have kids with.”
Lincoln shook his head. “And I’m guessing Frank agreed. Bastard.”
“He did agree.” Olivia replied. “But if that’s the way he feels, then it’s better this way. I need someone who actually wants to be with me, who takes me as they find me, and who’s going to be honest with me. Which probably sounds crazy, after the whole switch thing...”
“No, it doesn’t,” Lincoln reassured her. “I totally understand that. It’s what I want too.”
“You know, that woman we were watching earlier came up to me in the bathroom,” Olivia said, wondering whether she should carry on. “She wondered if I’d ever thought about you as more than a friend.”
“Great,” Lincoln groaned. “I guess she heard us, and she was trying to get back at us.”
“Well, yes,” Olivia admitted, “but she did kind of make me think about things. Because she’s actually right. That’s another reason why it wouldn’t have worked with Frank, and I think he may have seen that. He can’t give me what I need. But you...you’re the only person I totally trust, the only one who’s always got my back. You’re the one person who can always make me laugh. You’re the person I need right now. And it’s only now that I’m starting to understand that it was never Frank I needed, it was you.”
--------
“Morning, Liv,” Lincoln said the next morning. “Sleep well?”
“Better than I have in a while, actually,” Olivia admitted. “And I guess I know who to thank for that.”
“No Charlie yet?” Lincoln asked. “I’m surprised he hasn’t been banging on the door already. Maybe I’ll go and give him a nice rude awakening to make up for Annapolis. Come join me?”
“That would be rude.” Olivia grinned. “Let’s do it.” Together, they tiptoed to the door of Charlie’s room.
“You’d think he’d learn to lock his door after the first time I got him this way on a road trip,” Lincoln whispered, putting his finger to his lips as he opened the door. “It’s almost too easy.” As they tiptoed to his bed, Charlie let out a loud, rasping snore.
“Wakey wakey!” Olivia sang out as she grabbed one side of Charlie’s duvet and Lincoln grabbed the other, and the two of them yanked the duvet away from him, ignoring his yells.
“Come on, guys,” Charlie pleaded as he attempted to retrieve it. “Give me a break.”
“Sorry, Charlie,” Lincoln grinned. “Not a chance.”
“You know, Charlie, that woman who was checking out while you were putting all our things in the car said something really odd,” Olivia began. “Apparently there was some kind of problem with her bathroom which meant that she couldn’t use the room. But luckily, there were a lot of spare rooms on her floor, so they were able to find her another one.”
“Well, that was lucky for her,” Charlie replied.
“Wasn’t it? Especially when there wasn’t enough rooms supposedly for us all to have one each so that Lincoln and I had to share. Care to explain, Charlie?”
“Okay, I admit it. I bribed the woman on reception to say it.” Charlie admitted. “Come on, Lincoln’s had a thing for you ever since that Christmas party and probably before, and I had a feeling that you liked him as well, but you were never gonna do anything about it left to yourselves. So seeing as you both organized this whole road trip for me, I thought I’d do something for you.”
“But how did you - I mean, I hadn’t even told you when Frank and I split.” Olivia said.
“Well, you kind of did.” Charlie replied. “You weren’t talking about him anymore, and you told us he was here in Carolina, but you didn’t try and meet up with him here even though you could have. And that night you and Frank went on the double date with Mona and me, I thought something was off. I get that you didn’t want to dump it all on me right before my wedding, but you could have talked to me.”
“You’re right,” Olivia admitted. “Lincoln already pointed that out.”
“And I’ve always kind of thought that you two would be good together,” Charlie continued. “You know how I always joke about your Vulcan mind meld, but I’m kind of serious when I say it. But I knew you weren’t gonna act on it, so I thought I’d give you a bit of a helping hand. So, uh, did I do good?”
Olivia and Lincoln looked at each other, glared at Charlie for a minute before bursting out laughing. “Yeah, okay, you did good. We’re together now.” Olivia told him.
“But I hope you don’t think you’ve got free rein to gloat,” Lincoln elbowed him. “Gloating still isn’t attractive.”
-------
“This your idea of getting back at me for what I did in Carolina?” Charlie asked as the car started making funny noises.
“Come on, Charlie. Since when have I known the first thing about cars?” Olivia shook her head.
“And why would I want to get back at you?” Lincoln shrugged. “Sorry, nothing to do with us.”
“You have got to be kidding me!” Charlie kicked the tires of his car in frustration as smoke poured from under the hood.
“Charlie, calm down. That won’t help.” Olivia tried to reassure him.
“So what will, Livvy?” Charlie rounded on her, and Lincoln looked as if he were about to leap in between them, when a car pulled up alongside them.
“Well, I might be able to help.”
The three of them turned around to see an African-American man leaning out of his window grinning at them. Olivia had the strangest feeling that she recognised him from somewhere, but she couldn’t think where. Then she shook her head in frustration. They’d not long since had a case involving déjà vu, and Olivia probably still had that on her mind.
“Well, this is kind of ironic,” the driver smiled, and Olivia wondered if he somehow knew what she was thinking, but then he continued “I’m a cab driver back in Manhatan, and now here I am driving people somewhere on my vacation.”
“You’re from Manhatan?” Lincoln asked. “No way. Us too.” That must be why he looks so familiar, Olivia thought, although something still didn’t seem right about that. Still, it didn’t matter. The guy was going to get them to the church, and that was what was important.
“So, which one of you two is the groom?” the driver asked.
“I am.” Charlie replied. “I’m Charlie Francis. This is my best man, Lincoln Lee, and this is Olivia Dunham.”
“Henry Higgins. Nice to meet you all.”
Henry? Olivia was struck by another sense of déjà vu, but then suddenly realized why. Henry Higgins was the name of a character in that musical her mother liked, My Fair Lady. That was where she’d heard the name. That was all it was.
“So, uh, do you need directions to the church?” Charlie asked.
Henry laughed. “Come on, I’m a cab driver. I know all the shortcuts.”
“Even in Florida?” Lincoln asked.
“Sure. My wife and I lived here for a few years, and I’m pretty sure I can remember them.”
“You know what?” Charlie asked. “I think I may actually make it to the church on time now.”
-----
“Told you I’d get you there.” Henry said as they finally pulled up outside the church. “And with four minutes to spare as well.”
“Henry?” Charlie began. “Since you got us here, would you like to stay for the ceremony?”
“I’d be honored to.”
As they got out of the car, Olivia glanced around her at all the faces she knew: Colonel Broyles with his wife and son, Chris managing without the use of his cane which had seemed such an impossible dream for a while. Agent Farnsworth, standing there awkwardly like she felt she didn’t belong there. And even Secretary Bishop himself, shaking hands with Mona’s father.
“Well, this is it,” she said, turning to Lincoln. “He’s about to become a married man. It’s the end of an era.”
“No, it’s not.” Lincoln corrected her. “It’s only the beginning.”
Author: tellshannon815
Fandom: Fringe
Gift for: norgbelulah
Characters/Pairing: Altlivia/AltLincoln, AltCharlie/Mona the bug girl, Alt!Broyles, Henry Higgins, Alt!Astrid, Walternate.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 4912
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They own me.
Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers for S3 and S4 of Fringe, set in the altered timeline in Redverse.
Summary: Charlie is about to marry Mona, and Altlivia and Lincoln arrange for the three of them to take a road trip to Florida for the ceremony.
Author’s Note: Thanks to jaune_chat for the beta!
“I still can’t believe it, our Charlie’s getting married,” Lincoln said as he, Charlie and Olivia made their way out of Fringe Division.
“I can’t believe what you did to me on the stag weekend!” Charlie snorted. Lincoln had tied him up and sent him on a zeppelin to Louisiana Territory. “Or that you’re still my best man, come to that.”
“Just wait for my speech. I got plenty of better stories than that which I bet you never told Mona.” Lincoln laughed. Olivia joined in, saying “I read the first draft of it, and I already lost count of the number of references to bugs.”
Charlie rolled his eyes. “Cut it out, guys.”
“Seriously, though, are you nervous?” Olivia asked. “You only have a week to go, and it did all happen kind of fast.”
“Well, I guess I kind of realized that life was too short to wait around.” Olivia knew what he meant; it had come as a shock to Charlie when he found out that his counterpart from the alternate universe had been killed by a shapeshifter from their own side, and it had caused him to re-evaluate his own life at the time. It had been this discovery that had prompted Charlie to take the plunge and ask Mona to marry him.
“That, and the fact that Mona was the only girl who could see past your bugs,” Lincoln laughed.
“They’re not bugs,” Charlie began as he had so many times before, and the other two chimed in “They’re arachnids!”
“So, are you guys all packed?” Lincoln changed the subject. Charlie and Mona were getting married in Florida, and Charlie, Lincoln and Olivia were going to travel down there together by car. “Road trip, all three of us, just like it used to be,” Charlie had suggested, and Lincoln and Olivia had jumped at the chance. A week with her two best friends, that was just what Olivia needed right now, to take her mind off everything.
“Just about,” Olivia replied. “Just need to add a few more things and then I’m done.”
“So, Frank still not coming, huh?” Charlie asked.
“He’s going to be tied up with that cholera outbreak over in Carolina for a while yet. But he says he’s sorry.” Olivia forced a smile.
“That must bring back memories of when you first got together.” Lincoln mused. “Have to remember the Love In The Time Of Cholera reference for my speech when it’s your turn.”
“Hey, who says she’s gonna ask you to speak?” Charlie elbowed him in the ribs. Lincoln was about to say something else, but was distracted by Colonel Phillip Broyles walking over to them.
“Agent Francis.” Broyles began. “I just wanted to wish you luck for next week.”
“Thank you, sir.” Charlie smiled.
“My family and I will be flying down the day before your wedding.” Broyles continued.
“Mona and I are really happy that Chris is getting better all the time and is going to be well enough to be there.” Olivia hadn’t been part of the Division when Chris Broyles had been taken by the Candyman, but she knew what a big step it was for Chris to be able to fly to Florida with his parents.
“We all are,” Olivia added. “Well, I better go and finish off the last of my packing. You guys want to meet for one last beer when I’m done?”
“If you’re anything like Mona when it comes to packing, that means we’ll see you in about four hours.” Charlie teased her.
“Come on, you know how Liv hates packing, do you not remember our last road trip when we turned up to collect her and she’d hardly packed a thing? At least you’re starting earlier this time, Liv. Gives you more time to figure out how you’re gonna get the kitchen sink in your bag.” Lincoln replied.
“Funny. See you later.” Olivia shook her head as she walked off. Funny guys, both of them.
God, she’d missed them .
-------
“How much did you pack, Liv?” Charlie groaned as he hoisted Olivia’s suitcase into the trunk. (It was easily twice the size of either his or Lincoln’s).
“Well, now that you mention it, I think there may be a few more things I’ve forgotten, can we go back for them?” Olivia joked.
Mona walked over to them. “Now, you two make sure you take good care of him, both of you, I want him in one piece for Saturday. And in Florida, not on a zeppelin half way somewhere else,” she added, glaring at Lincoln.
“Who, me?” Lincoln asked, raising his eyebrows. “Don’t worry. We’ll get him there.”
“You’d better. Have a great time, all of you, and I’ll see you at the church.” Mona threw her arms around Charlie and kissed him, then hugged Lincoln and Olivia. “You know, I’m glad that you guys are going to be with Charlie for this week. Because you’ve been the closest thing he’s had to family in a long time, you know?” Olivia did. Charlie didn’t talk much about his family, but Olivia knew he was the first of them to make anything of his life and that he’d been desperate to put the days of being sent out to get his mother’s cigarettes behind him. He hadn’t said much the day they’d had to amber the neighborhood where he’d lived for his teenage years, but Olivia knew that there was a large part of him that had not been sorry that that had happened.
“Right, first stop, Coney Island.” Charlie turned to Olivia with a smug grin on his face as he got into the passenger seat while Olivia took the wheel. “Let’s see which of us throws up on the rollercoaster this time.”
“How come he gets to ride shotgun first?” Lincoln complained.
“Because he’s the groom.” Charlie replied. “Look, you’ll get your turn. Besides, Coney Island isn’t that far."
“So, looking forward to the rollercoaster?” Olivia grinned as she poked Charlie in the ribs.
Charlie laughed. “You watch, Liv. You’ll see who can hold the contents of their stomach this time.”
“A twenty says he pukes,” Olivia whispered in Lincoln’s ear, and he nodded.
“Yeah, yeah, all right,” Charlie rolled his eyes. “You have your fun.”
“Oh, we will,” Lincoln grinned and elbowed Olivia.
One ride on the Cyclone, one stop for Charlie to clean himself up in the restroom, and one twenty-dollar bill handed over by Lincoln to Olivia later, Charlie decided to try and redeem himself by suggesting they all go on the Parachute Jump.
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Lincoln asked. “I mean, are you sure your stomach can take it? What do you think, Liv?”
“You know, the Parachute Jump Over There got closed down years ago,” Olivia mused without answering Lincoln. “I’d never cared about it that much before, but once I knew I couldn’t go on it there, I was kinda curious. I say let’s do it.”
“Well, I guess it’ll give me another story for my speech, about how you puked twice at Coney Island,” Lincoln shrugged.
One ride on the Parachute Jump, one stop for Lincoln to clean himself up in the restroom, four gloating comments by Charlie and questions about whether he really wanted to include it in his speech after all, and one suggestion by Olivia that they stick to the kiddie rides instead, Lincoln was more than ready to leave Coney Island.
------
“So, if this were Over There, would we be having real coffee with this?” Charlie asked.
“Oh God, yes,” Olivia winced as she took a mouthful of what passed for coffee in their universe. “That’s about the only thing I miss about it. Well, that and avocados.”
“Liv, I should have said this a long time ago.” Lincoln reached out and touched her arm. “I’m sorry. You know, for not noticing that that wasn’t you. I feel like I should have. Charlie noticed something was off -“
“But I was pretty quick to let myself believe it when you told me I was nuts,” Charlie reminded him. “And when she knew what had happened at Coney Island, I was sure she was our Liv. Don’t beat yourself up too much about it.”
“He’s right, Lincoln. Don’t worry about it. No one else noticed. Not my mom, not Frank, not anyone. It’s okay.” In truth, Olivia had felt a little unsettled that no one had noticed, and had to admit to feeling a little relief the day when Charlie had let slip that he’d had his suspicions. The fact that Marilyn hadn’t noticed anything off had hurt her the most, although she knew that that was a little unreasonable; given that Marilyn didn’t even know about the existence of the other universe at the time, how could she be expected to have suspected? But she didn’t want to make a big thing out of it. She wanted to concentrate on this week with her two best friends, to get the chance to feel like the Olivia Dunham she’d always been. “Let’s forget about it. Move on. I want to spend this week with the two people I missed the most while I was over there.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Charlie raised his cup of the crappy substitute that passed for coffee in their universe, took a sip and grimaced as he swallowed.
“Wonder what it’s going to be like?” Lincoln asked. “Working with them, I mean.”
“Well, I know I’m not looking forward to working with her,” Olivia admitted. “Being her made me realize that the other person I missed was the real me.”
“I have to admit, I’m kind of curious about the other me,” Lincoln mused, but then caught the look on Charlie’s face and hastily said “But, uh, why are we even talking about work, anyway? We’re on vacation. So, uh, hope we find somewhere to stay in Carolina that’s better than the place in Annapolis.”
Olivia grinned. The motel in Annapolis had reminded her of the movie Psycho.
“Subtle.” Charlie smiled. “Look, it’s okay to mention it. Yeah, it was weird hearing about the other me, but I’ve got my head around it a bit more now. You don’t have to avoid the subject. But, you know, if you ever come across the records of how the other Charlie managed to get rid of his bugs...”
“I’ll tell you straight away. He’s still right though,” Olivia replied. “We are on vacation and shouldn’t really be thinking about work.”
“Guess not. So, heard anything from Frank today?” Lincoln asked.
Great, Olivia thought. Suddenly talking about work seemed a better option.
-------
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Charlie glared at the woman behind the reception desk. “I specifically booked three rooms.”
“I’m sorry,” the woman said, wringing her hands. “I honestly don’t know what happened. But we only have two double rooms available now.”
“It’s okay,” Olivia hastily interrupted. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll take what you have available. I don’t mind sharing with one of you guys. It’s only for a night.”
“You get the single room, Charlie,” Lincoln jumped in. “You’re the groom.” Charlie smiled to himself for a moment before replying “Couldn’t have put it better myself.”
“So, uh, Liv, which side of the bed do you prefer?” Lincoln asked.
“The left,” Olivia replied. Actually, she’d always had the right side when she’d shared with Frank, but she felt that she didn’t want to sleep on the same side of the bed that she had with him.
“Cool, I prefer the right anyway.” Lincoln threw his bags to the floor and started rummaging through them. “So, I added a few more things to my speech while we were on the way here. Wanna take a look at it, see if you have any suggestions before we go and eat? Do you think there’s too many references to bugs?”
Olivia took the speech from him, smiled to herself at some of the jokes, raised her eyebrows at a story involving strippers from Lincoln and Charlie’s academy days before she’d met them, then turned back to him. “Maybe that one could go, and that one.”
Lincoln read it over again, then hastily shoved it under the pillow as Charlie knocked on their door to collect them for their evening meal. “Wow, you guys, this room’s probably twice the size of mine. Sure you don’t want to swap with me, Lincoln?”
Lincoln shook his head. “Can you hear what Mona would say about you sharing a bed with someone other than her before your wedding?”
Charlie laughed. “You’re right. Come on, let’s go and eat.”
-----
“So, what do you reckon their story is?” Lincoln asked as they finished their main courses, pointing to a man who appeared to be in his sixties accompanied by a woman about forty years his junior.
“Like we even have to ask.” Charlie snorted as he watched them. “He’s definitely her sugar daddy. And we don’t even have to ask about them either.” He went on, gesturing towards a group of girls, one of them wearing a banner around her neck which spelled out “Bachelorette Weekend”.
“How about them?” Olivia grinned as she pointed to another couple. “Body language says she wants more out of the relationship, but he’s not so sure.”
Lincoln nodded. “I’m guessing they still don’t know each other that well yet. But I think you’re right that she definitely wants to get to know him better.”
Olivia got to her feet. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said, shaking her head as she made her way in the direction of the ladies’ room. It was weird - she had a strange feeling that she’d had a very similar conversation with someone at some point, but she had no idea who that would have been. She and Frank certainly never used to people-watch, and with Lincoln and Charlie they were usually too busy talking about other things to care about who was sitting at the next table.
As she reapplied her lipstick in the mirror, Olivia’s attention was caught by the sound of the restroom door swinging open.
“Friends. You’ve been friends for a long time, but the guy sat on your left wants to be more.” It was the woman who Olivia had thought wanted to be more than friends with her companion.
“Sorry, what?” Olivia asked.
“That’s what my friend and I thought you were. Your friend wants to be more than friends with you. And maybe you’re considering him that way too, although you might not know it yet. You got it right about us, by the way. Don’t know how you knew. So, am I right about you?”
“I - I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Olivia said as she turned to walk away. It was true that Lincoln had tried to kiss her at a party one Christmas before he knew that she and Frank were together, but that had been a long time ago, and Olivia had thought they had got past that now. Yet there was a part of her that wasn’t that sure that the other woman was wrong.
-------
“Hey, Liv, I just realized you hadn’t called to check in with Frank yet. Or were you thinking of trying to find some time to see him, since we’re in Carolina?” Lincoln asked after they’d said goodnight to Charlie.
“No, I’m not. Because this week’s about you, me and Charlie being together, just like the old times,” Olivia replied, but she could tell that Lincoln wasn’t buying it.
“In fact, I also noticed that you haven’t really been talking about him that much since we set off,” Lincoln continued. “Is there anything you wanna talk about?”
“He’s not here in Carolina, Lincoln. Frank and I broke up,” Olivia admitted at last, knowing she could no longer hide it. “A couple of weeks ago.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell us?” Lincoln asked.
“This is Charlie’s big moment,” Olivia explained. “I didn’t want to take anything away from his wedding. It’s supposed to be about him right now, not me. I was planning to keep it quiet until after the big day, and then tell you afterwards.”
“Okay, I kind of understand why you wouldn’t want to tell Charlie,” Lincoln began. “We both know he’s been nervous about the wedding, even though he’s never gonna admit it. And he’s always seen you and Frank as the couple to look up to, the ones that he hoped he and Mona would be like. Hell, even I could admit that at one point. Well, I’m still the perfect one and he was a close second. But why didn’t you tell me? I wouldn’t have told him until after the wedding.”
Olivia laughed in spite of herself. “Yeah, right. I know you can’t keep a secret. Have you forgotten how I found out Frank was planning to propose in the first place?”
Lincoln winced. “Touché. But I won’t mention it to Charlie, if that’s what you want. I can keep a secret when it really matters.”
“You totally can’t.” Olivia laughed. “But to be honest, it’s kind of a relief that you know now.”
“So, uh, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” Lincoln asked. “I mean, you seemed so happy.”
“Well, we’d actually been having problems for a while, and there’s a lot to it,” Olivia admitted. “That trip we went on to Annapolis? That was with the idea of patching things up. Things hadn’t been right since he got back from dealing with that smallpox outbreak in North Texas. He thought I’d gone all weird and distant on him, that I wasn’t myself on the phone. And, you know, for part of the time, it wasn’t me. It was her. And there was a part of me that was pissed off at him because he didn’t know, even though it was crazy. How could he have? It’s not like he even knew there was another universe.”
“Don’t be too hard on the guy for that, Liv,” Lincoln began. “Sounds like he had more of an idea than I did, for a start.”
“I know, that came out wrong. I admit I was kind of disappointed that he didn’t notice, or my mom. And when Charlie let slip that he had wondered at one time, I was glad that someone had noticed. But I’m not angry at any of you. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“So then what happened?” Lincoln asked.
“Well, you know that it was me he came back to, but it was her he’d been with when he left for North Texas. And I know he technically didn’t do anything wrong, since he didn’t know, and I was the one who put him in that position, but there was a part of me that was angry at him over what happened with her. Whatever it was; I’ve never known for sure. I didn’t want to. And the thing is, if the other Olivia had had a boyfriend at the time, I know I’d have had to have gone through the motions with him, whoever he was.”
“Well, if you’d had to cheat on Frank...” Lincoln began, but Olivia elbowed him in the ribs. “I know what you’re gonna say, and no, it wouldn’t have been with the other you. I only ever met him once, anyway, right when the bridge first opened, and trust me, it wouldn’t have happened. And in case you’re wondering, my impression is that he’s nothing like you.”
Lincoln laughed. “No one’s quite like me. So then what happened?”
“Well, you remember that trip Frank and I took to Annapolis right after that case we had with the exploding people? That was a way of trying to work things out. That’s why I didn’t want to stay in the place I used to go to with Frank, because it just reminded me of too much.”
“I remember when you came back, it was a couple of weeks afterwards I think, and you were really quiet for a while. It was around the time that Charlie and I found out that you’d switched with the other Olivia, and we wondered whether maybe you’d confessed to Frank or something.”
“No, it wasn’t that. It was because I had a pregnancy scare.”
“And Frank didn’t want it?” Lincoln guessed.
“Actually, he did, which was kind of the problem.”
“Damn it,” Lincoln muttered. “I forgot. The VPE.”
“We’d talked about it, not long after Rachel died, and we’d agreed we weren’t going to try for kids, but Frank...he really wanted it, I could tell. And when I took the test, and it was negative, he was so disappointed.”
“Even though he knew the risks to you if you went through with a pregnancy?” Lincoln asked.
“He said he wasn’t, he said that he understood that there were other options, and that besides, with my hours and the fact that his job takes him all over the country, our lifestyles weren’t exactly conducive to parenthood...But it was all words. I could tell. Eventually, I suggested that he’d be better off leaving me and finding someone he could actually have kids with.”
Lincoln shook his head. “And I’m guessing Frank agreed. Bastard.”
“He did agree.” Olivia replied. “But if that’s the way he feels, then it’s better this way. I need someone who actually wants to be with me, who takes me as they find me, and who’s going to be honest with me. Which probably sounds crazy, after the whole switch thing...”
“No, it doesn’t,” Lincoln reassured her. “I totally understand that. It’s what I want too.”
“You know, that woman we were watching earlier came up to me in the bathroom,” Olivia said, wondering whether she should carry on. “She wondered if I’d ever thought about you as more than a friend.”
“Great,” Lincoln groaned. “I guess she heard us, and she was trying to get back at us.”
“Well, yes,” Olivia admitted, “but she did kind of make me think about things. Because she’s actually right. That’s another reason why it wouldn’t have worked with Frank, and I think he may have seen that. He can’t give me what I need. But you...you’re the only person I totally trust, the only one who’s always got my back. You’re the one person who can always make me laugh. You’re the person I need right now. And it’s only now that I’m starting to understand that it was never Frank I needed, it was you.”
--------
“Morning, Liv,” Lincoln said the next morning. “Sleep well?”
“Better than I have in a while, actually,” Olivia admitted. “And I guess I know who to thank for that.”
“No Charlie yet?” Lincoln asked. “I’m surprised he hasn’t been banging on the door already. Maybe I’ll go and give him a nice rude awakening to make up for Annapolis. Come join me?”
“That would be rude.” Olivia grinned. “Let’s do it.” Together, they tiptoed to the door of Charlie’s room.
“You’d think he’d learn to lock his door after the first time I got him this way on a road trip,” Lincoln whispered, putting his finger to his lips as he opened the door. “It’s almost too easy.” As they tiptoed to his bed, Charlie let out a loud, rasping snore.
“Wakey wakey!” Olivia sang out as she grabbed one side of Charlie’s duvet and Lincoln grabbed the other, and the two of them yanked the duvet away from him, ignoring his yells.
“Come on, guys,” Charlie pleaded as he attempted to retrieve it. “Give me a break.”
“Sorry, Charlie,” Lincoln grinned. “Not a chance.”
“You know, Charlie, that woman who was checking out while you were putting all our things in the car said something really odd,” Olivia began. “Apparently there was some kind of problem with her bathroom which meant that she couldn’t use the room. But luckily, there were a lot of spare rooms on her floor, so they were able to find her another one.”
“Well, that was lucky for her,” Charlie replied.
“Wasn’t it? Especially when there wasn’t enough rooms supposedly for us all to have one each so that Lincoln and I had to share. Care to explain, Charlie?”
“Okay, I admit it. I bribed the woman on reception to say it.” Charlie admitted. “Come on, Lincoln’s had a thing for you ever since that Christmas party and probably before, and I had a feeling that you liked him as well, but you were never gonna do anything about it left to yourselves. So seeing as you both organized this whole road trip for me, I thought I’d do something for you.”
“But how did you - I mean, I hadn’t even told you when Frank and I split.” Olivia said.
“Well, you kind of did.” Charlie replied. “You weren’t talking about him anymore, and you told us he was here in Carolina, but you didn’t try and meet up with him here even though you could have. And that night you and Frank went on the double date with Mona and me, I thought something was off. I get that you didn’t want to dump it all on me right before my wedding, but you could have talked to me.”
“You’re right,” Olivia admitted. “Lincoln already pointed that out.”
“And I’ve always kind of thought that you two would be good together,” Charlie continued. “You know how I always joke about your Vulcan mind meld, but I’m kind of serious when I say it. But I knew you weren’t gonna act on it, so I thought I’d give you a bit of a helping hand. So, uh, did I do good?”
Olivia and Lincoln looked at each other, glared at Charlie for a minute before bursting out laughing. “Yeah, okay, you did good. We’re together now.” Olivia told him.
“But I hope you don’t think you’ve got free rein to gloat,” Lincoln elbowed him. “Gloating still isn’t attractive.”
-------
“This your idea of getting back at me for what I did in Carolina?” Charlie asked as the car started making funny noises.
“Come on, Charlie. Since when have I known the first thing about cars?” Olivia shook her head.
“And why would I want to get back at you?” Lincoln shrugged. “Sorry, nothing to do with us.”
“You have got to be kidding me!” Charlie kicked the tires of his car in frustration as smoke poured from under the hood.
“Charlie, calm down. That won’t help.” Olivia tried to reassure him.
“So what will, Livvy?” Charlie rounded on her, and Lincoln looked as if he were about to leap in between them, when a car pulled up alongside them.
“Well, I might be able to help.”
The three of them turned around to see an African-American man leaning out of his window grinning at them. Olivia had the strangest feeling that she recognised him from somewhere, but she couldn’t think where. Then she shook her head in frustration. They’d not long since had a case involving déjà vu, and Olivia probably still had that on her mind.
“Well, this is kind of ironic,” the driver smiled, and Olivia wondered if he somehow knew what she was thinking, but then he continued “I’m a cab driver back in Manhatan, and now here I am driving people somewhere on my vacation.”
“You’re from Manhatan?” Lincoln asked. “No way. Us too.” That must be why he looks so familiar, Olivia thought, although something still didn’t seem right about that. Still, it didn’t matter. The guy was going to get them to the church, and that was what was important.
“So, which one of you two is the groom?” the driver asked.
“I am.” Charlie replied. “I’m Charlie Francis. This is my best man, Lincoln Lee, and this is Olivia Dunham.”
“Henry Higgins. Nice to meet you all.”
Henry? Olivia was struck by another sense of déjà vu, but then suddenly realized why. Henry Higgins was the name of a character in that musical her mother liked, My Fair Lady. That was where she’d heard the name. That was all it was.
“So, uh, do you need directions to the church?” Charlie asked.
Henry laughed. “Come on, I’m a cab driver. I know all the shortcuts.”
“Even in Florida?” Lincoln asked.
“Sure. My wife and I lived here for a few years, and I’m pretty sure I can remember them.”
“You know what?” Charlie asked. “I think I may actually make it to the church on time now.”
-----
“Told you I’d get you there.” Henry said as they finally pulled up outside the church. “And with four minutes to spare as well.”
“Henry?” Charlie began. “Since you got us here, would you like to stay for the ceremony?”
“I’d be honored to.”
As they got out of the car, Olivia glanced around her at all the faces she knew: Colonel Broyles with his wife and son, Chris managing without the use of his cane which had seemed such an impossible dream for a while. Agent Farnsworth, standing there awkwardly like she felt she didn’t belong there. And even Secretary Bishop himself, shaking hands with Mona’s father.
“Well, this is it,” she said, turning to Lincoln. “He’s about to become a married man. It’s the end of an era.”
“No, it’s not.” Lincoln corrected her. “It’s only the beginning.”