P/O fic: Life After the Blight (6th in the 'reality' series)

[Mancha]

Life After the Blight


Author: Mancha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fringe characters. But I do own: Emily, Lily, Pete, Charley, Hallie and a few others down the road. Summary: Grandma? What was the world like when you were young? A little girl with green eyes asks. Things were different now, I wasn’t the tough FBI agent I was 35 years ago. Date Started: 12/6/10. Date Finished: 12/6/10. Hope you will all enjoy! Thanks!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


November 2nd, 2048

Twenty miles outside the former city of Boston

“Grandma? What was the world like when you were young?”

A little girl with green eyes and brown hair asked me as she sat in a

rocking chair with me in our run-down living room. I had to scratch

my head and think on that a moment. I shifted to get comfortable

again.

"Well Hallie, the world was a different place when I was young. For

one, we had green trees and fresh running water. And your

grandfather was a much more dashing man than he is now..."

Man in the background:

"I heard that 'Livia don't start that again..."

I shook my head and laughed a little. I cleared my throat and

continued my story.

"Anyways, I helped a lot of people. I saved lives. The world got

worse as time went on. By the time I was ready to have your

mommy, the world was falling apart. Everyone had become very

mean to each other. They started fighting over food. The world

became a scary place. And now when I look at it, it’s starting to

bloom again... I never thought I'd see that in my lifetime..."

Hallie look up into my eyes curiously.

“And how old were you when you had my mommy?”

It was so long ago now... She was making me think a lot... I've

forgotten a lot of things in my old age. This was one of them.

“I was 34 years old when I had your mommy and your uncle Pete.

I'm 65 years old now. I'd never thought I'd live to see the day the

world began to bloom again...”

I slowly set Hallie down on the ground and got up. My bones

crackled under the strain of standing up. Olivia you are getting

weak in your old age. Hallie pulled me by the hand towards the

kitchen. Chocolate cocoa was a rare commodity these days, and

sugar and every other spice were even rarer. I found Peter making

some at the kitchen counter. Hallie’s eyes lit up as she watched Peter

mix the precious cocoa with boiled water. Peter handed her the mug

of cocoa and she was about to drink from it, but Peter stopped her.

“Hallie be careful, that’s very hot. Let it cool for a little while ok

sweetheart?”

I smiled at Peter; he’d taken his nickname for me and given it to

Hallie. I remember he’d been so proud the day Hallie was born. We

took our hot cocoa back to the living room and Hallie stretched out

on the old worn out couch. I glanced over at the clock on the mantle;

it was nearly 9:00. It was getting late.

“Hallie sweetie, are you sure you want to hear the story tonight? It’s

getting awfully late and your mommy would be upset with me if she

knew you were still awake.”

Hallie yawned but kept her eyes open and nodded her head,

snuggling under the down comforters on the couch.

“Yes grandma, I wanna hear how you and grandpa met. Please?”

I only laughed a little and watched as she closed her eyes listening to

my soft voice as I began my story.

“... A long time ago, there was once a tough FBI agent who didn’t let

anyone get in her way. She went on a long journey very far away to

find a man that would save another she had fallen in love with that

was very sick...”

I stopped from starting my next sentence when I saw Hallie was fast

asleep. I smiled warmly at her and tucked the blanket more around

her. It was going to be cold tonight and the cracks in the house didn’t

help any keeping it warm. The fireplace was full of wood and

burning a nice warm fire, but we’d need to change it soon. The past

30 years have been hard in this wasteland, but we’ve managed to

raise happy children, though not always healthy.

To Be Continued...

A/N: So, what you guys think? Let me know! Thanks!

[Mancha]

Chapter 2: World of Drought

Author: Mancha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fringe characters. But I do own: Emily, Lily, Pete, Charley Hallie and any other character I may come up with. Date Started: 12/11/10. Date Finished: 12/15/10. Hope you will enjoy! Thanks!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 3rd, 2048

Its grown cold since midnight, Hallie had since come upstairs and

was snuggling between Peter and I. Most of the rooms were so

drafty. It's grown worse in the last 35 years. Snow never fell

anymore, and everything was like a desert. Extremely hot during the

day, and freezing at night.

Sometimes I worry about Hallie, I mean Lily gave birth to a perfectly

healthy little girl, but the clothes we have are threadbare, it's barely

enough to keep us warm at night... She's turned into a wonderful

little girl, four years old and so full of life. Though we don't have

much to offer her, she imagines what the world was like before all

this happened.

She drew me a picture the other day of what Boston would look like

if it had trees again. I worried about the rest of my family; I worried

about Emily, Lily, Pete and Charley. But it was Ella I was most

worried about. She'd been the last one to get married, to a man

named Eric who adored her and waited on her every want and need.

I just didn't like the thought of her bringing her daughter into this

world that had little life to offer.

Noise from outside startled me, only to realize it was just a tree

branch. It got so windy at night. That's where the cold drafts came

from... I'd have to ask Peter if we could find some way to insulate

the house in the morning... 35 years of drought, and not a single

drop of rain... Would the world ever be green again? Hallie shifted in

the bed a little and opened her eyes, looking at me.

“Grandma, I’m cold. Another blankie please.”

I slowly got out of bed and went over to the closet and pulled out the

comforter that had once been Lily’s. I traced the patterns on it. I’d

made it for her when she was about Hallie’s age. I smiled at the

thought of covering Hallie with the handmade blanket made me

remember covering Lily with it. I remembered her words as I

wrapped it around her on a particularly cold night.

“It’s so pretty and soft mommy. I like it, it’s warm.”

As I covered Hallie with the blanket, she smiled at me, and lie back

down on the pillow next to me. I pulled the five blankets over the

two of us and snuggled under them. Smiling, I fell asleep once more.

When I woke again, it was still dark out. Looking at the ancient

clock on the nightstand, I noticed it was only: 4:15 a.m. The banging

on the front door downstairs is what must have woken me up. Hallie

only stirred a little and got closer to Peter as I covered her back up.

Padding slowly down the stairs, I peeked through the peep hole in

the door. Finding that it was Ella and Eric, I quickly opened up the

door. Ella was shivering through her thin jacket she had on. Eric

ushered her inside the house and I closed the front door, closing it

tight and replacing the two by four up against the handle after locking

it. I ushered her towards the stairs, but she only looked at me with

scared eyes.

“Aunt Liv I’m going to quote you from when I was ten: ‘I can't

climb these stairs. There are too many of them and that seals my

fate of me going into labor early.’ I remember when you told Uncle

Peter those words, and then he was a complete gentleman and

carried you up the stairs to the bed in that convenience store

remember?”

I nodded my head and watched as Eric scooped Ella up into his

arms, carrying her up the flight of stairs. The spare room was best

and it had a fire already going in there to keep the upstairs semi-

heated. When Eric set Ella on the bed and under the covers once

he’d gotten her shoes and jacket off, he looked at me and spoke.

“I’m sorry we barged in on you and Peter at such an ungodly hour

of the night but Ella was worried she wouldn’t see you again. She

wouldn’t tell me how or why, just that she had to see you and that it

couldn’t wait. What she really needs right now is something to relax

her. Do you have any tea?”

I nodded my head going out of the room and got a cup of warm tea

from the pot sitting on the night table next to the bed. Handing it to

Ella and watching her drink it, I smiled.

“Is that better baby girl? Tea always seemed to help you sleep when

you were afraid or worried. Now what’s wrong? Is it the baby?”

Ella shook her head no and placed her hand over her swelling

abdomen, smiling at me all the while.

“The baby’s fine Aunt Liv. It’s you I was worried about. I dreamed

that something happened to you in your sleep...”

I watched Ella’s facial expression for a moment. She turned her gaze

up to Eric and I found that she had fear in her eyes. She started to

cry.

“Oh no! This is really bad timing! My water just broke!”

I looked closely at Ella and brushed my hand up against her forehead

removing the hair from her forehead.

“It’ll be ok sweetie. I’ll stay with you while Eric goes and finds a

doctor for you. I’ll have Uncle Peter boil some pots of hot water for

you. Just try and relax. This is the miracle of life. I’m right here. I

promise I won’t leave you alone. Just like I promised when you were

little, that you’d always be safe and I’d always take care of you.”

Ella smiled at me, but it soon disappeared as a contraction presented

itself. She grabbed for my hand and squeezed it tight.

“I’m trying to be brave, but it really hurts! Where’s the doctor?

Maybe he can bring me something for the pain! Ah! You know I

have a low tolerance to pain!”

I wiped the sweat from her forehead and kissed her forehead. I

knew she was having a hard time right now, but her daughter would

be born safely. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. By now, it had

been nearly an hour and there was still no doctor. Where’s Eric?

Peter had come into the room with the buckets of hot water, holding

the handles with cloths to protect himself from being burned.

“Here’s some hot water Liv. How are you doing Ella? You hanging

in there alright? I know you think this is taking a thousand years but,

you will have a wonderful little miracle in your arms when this is all

finished.”

Ella nodded her head at Peter and plopped her head back down on

the pillow on the bed. I shook her shoulder when I saw her begin to

close her eyes. Now was not the time for her to be sleeping.

“Ella sweetie, I know you’re tired, but it’s not time to sleep right

now. You need to stay awake. Think of your daughter. You’ll be

able to hold her in your arms soon. Breathe in through your nose and

out through your mouth. That’s it. Just relax.”

I kept my hold on Ella’s hand as Peter came back with another set

of hot water buckets. I sat down in the chair next to the bed and held

her hand.

“Aunt Liv? Can you tell me the story about when Charley was born

again? I haven’t heard that story in awhile. How did you keep so

calm?”

I smiled remembering the day Charley was born. It hadn’t been that

difficult after the doctor came anyway.

“Well, the doctor coached me through most of it. But having gone

through the birth of three children already, I knew that having

Charley would be much simpler. Six hours of labor, and I hadn’t had

any pain meds. Charley was a miracle. I won’t lie, the contractions

were bad over the 12 and a half hours I was in labor with him. But

the delivery was somewhat simple. I only had to push three times

and he came out so easily. He never cried once when the doctor

placed him in my arms. He opened his eyes and stared straight at

me. He had his father’s smile, but my green eyes. He was relatively

calm, as if this brave new world didn’t scare him at all.”

I saw Ella relax a little as I finished my story. She smiled tiredly at

me. Peter sat in the chair next to the bed and stroked her forehead

with his left hand. I had moved to a chair off to the side of him and

kept my hand wrapped around hers. I watched her expression

change again to frightened.

“Aunt Liv, please help me! This one really hurts! Please help me!”

I squeezed her hand and listened to her short gasps for breath. She

was forgetting to breathe. I nodded my head and stroked her

forehead a little.

“Shh. It’s ok baby girl. Just try and relax. Breathe in through your

nose and out through your mouth. That’s my girl. Uncle Peter and I

are right here. We promise we won’t leave you. We’re right here.”

Peter and I both turned out attention to the door when Eric arrived

with a doctor. Ella only smiled and leaned back on her pillow.

“Eric, what took you so long? I felt like I’ve been in labor for days.”

Peter saw Hallie rubbing her eyes out in the hallway and then her

eyes grew wide when she saw Ella. Peter picked her up and shut the

door behind him. Momentarily, I watched as the doctor began to roll

up his sleeves. He then turned to me and gave me a smile.

“You must be Olivia. I’m Doctor Carrington. I’m glad Eric found me

when he did. The clinic is too far for Ella to trek to. Have you got

lots of hot water?”

I nodded my head and gestured towards the buckets of steaming

water. Ella gripped onto my hand tighter still. Eric whispered in my

ear suddenly.

“We have quite a few visitors downstairs. Lily, Pete, Emily and

Charley are all here. I went and got them while I was out looking for

Doctor Carrington.”

Now my whole family was here. All that was missing was Walter

and Rachel. Rachel had passed on long ago, and Walter never got to

see the birth of his great-granddaughter Hallie. He’d passed away at

the ripe old age of 97. I knew Peter missed him sometimes, and

especially this time of year. Ella brought me out of my thoughts

when she squeezed my hand tightly. I could clearly hear Doctor

Carrington speaking.

“You’re doing just fine Ella. One more push and we’ll be done. Just

give me one more big push for me. That’s it. One more. One more

for me. And... It’s a girl!”

Ella plopped her head down on the pillow and sighed in relief. The

baby’s crying was a relief to hear. It’s been quite a while since I’ve

heard a baby cry in this house. This was a happy day. I could hear

Peter downstairs talking to the rest of the kids.

“It’s a girl! Ella had a girl!”

I could hear both laughing and crying coming from downstairs. I

turned to Ella and smiled at the tiny baby in her arms. Eric smiled

proudly at Ella. He was now a proud father.

“So, what are you going to name her Ella?”

Ella looked down at the baby in her arms and looked up at me. She

had tears in her eyes. I smiled back and kissed her forehead, then

place a small kiss on the baby in her arms.

“Olivia. After you Aunt Liv. I name her after you because you are

the strongest woman I’ve ever known. I’m proud to call you my

aunt.”

Peter had come into the room with the rest of the family. Ella smiled

at all four of her cousins and held Olivia up slightly so that they

could get a good look at her.

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet the newest member to our family,

Olivia Marie Dunham-Carlington. Say hi Olivia.”

Ella made a waving motion with Olivia’s hand and everyone just

smiled with tears in their eyes. Today had been a bright spot in this

dying world.

To Be Continued...

A/N: So, what’d you guys think? Let me know! Thanks!

[Mancha]

Chapter 3: Unbearable Days


Author: Mancha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fringe characters. But I do own: Emily, Lily, Pete, Charley and Hallie. Oh and Ella’s daughter Olivia Marie and Eric. There are others that I will come up with later. Date Started: 12/16/10. Date Finished: 2/3/11. Hope you will all enjoy! Thanks!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 3rd, 2048 11:30 a.m.

The fans in the house were going, but nothing could keep the

scorching heat out of the house. I could hear the baby crying

upstairs. Ella though she's still recovering from having Olivia, I know

it’s more unbearable now that the heats come... I made my way up

the stairs, and quietly knocked on the door to the spare room.


“Come in.”


Ella smiled at me but was in tears as she could do nothing to soothe

Olivia's crying form.

“Aunt Liv, I don't know what to do! I've tried feeding her, she won't

eat, she just keeps screaming.”


I took Olivia carefully into my arms and rocked her a little. For a

moment, she stopped but then started up again. I put my hand up to

her forehead. I could practically feel the heat coming off her.

“Ella she's burning up! I'll get your Uncle Peter to find some ice for

her.”

I took Olivia out of the room and brought her down the stairs. Peter

was in the kitchen trying his hardest to fix the fan. It’d broken down

again... He looked at me seriously when he saw me holding onto a

screaming Olivia.

“What is it ‘Livia? Why is she screaming like that?”

It took a moment for Peter to realize what was going on with Olivia.

He took her into his arms and placed a small cool cloth over her

forehead. She began to whine, but her crying seemed to stop. At this

rate we could get her cool again using cool rags or wash cloths. We

had to keep things sealed because most stuff here had become moth-

eaten. Though it had been years since Peter held one of our children,

the father in him always came out anyways.

“See, isn’t that better honey? Let’s take you back to your mother.”

I followed Peter up the stairs and entered Ella’s room. She was

drying her eyes with the last box of tissues we had. He carefully

placed Olive into Ella’s arms and she seemed to calm even more.

The look on Ella’s face told me the heat was getting to her.

“Aunt Liv, is the fan downstairs fixed yet? I feel like I’m in a sauna.

The sweat is just dripping. This is disgusting. How am I supposed to

keep Olivia cool in this searing heat?”

I placed a kiss on Ella’s forehead and watched as she looked at

Olive’s flailing form. I pushed Peter out of the room, closing the

door. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Ella fed Olive. She

played with her tiny fingers as she watched Olivia eat. Such an

amazing and tiny miracle born into this wasteland we once called

Boston... I could tell Ella was nodding off. Her eyes were closing.

Olive made desperate noises to get her mother’s attention. She was

still hungry. I gently shook Ella’s shoulder to wake her.

“Ella, wake up baby girl. Olive’s still hungry. I know you’re tired,

but she’s still hungry. Just a little longer. Uncle Peter’s almost done

fixing the fan downstairs. Once he’s done that, he’ll fix this one too,

and we’ll get some air circulating through this house again.”

Ella looked at me as if she were about to whine. Her husband Eric

stood next to her and watched Olive momentarily.

“But Aunt Liv, it’s so hot and I’m really tired.”

I nodded my head and helped her reposition Olivia back towards her

chest and looked and listened while she suckled.

“I know you’re tired, we’re all tired, but I don’t want you to sleep

until Uncle Peter fixes the fan in here. Then you can sleep. How do

you feel?”

Ella yawned, it was evident that was very worn out. I knew what it

was like, and I’d given birth to four children. I’d never told anyone

this, but Emily was a twin. Her brother died a month before birth.

Adán was a small and frail little boy who was born with Sharp’s

Syndrome. Stage four. His skin had been a strange color, and the

bruising all over his body suggested he’d had Sharp’s Syndrome for

awhile while he was inside my womb. Though even after all these

years it was still fuzzy on how I delivered him. Peter and I hadn’t

known we were having a set of twins... He was just as much a

surprise as Lily and Pete were.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Grandma? Can you finish telling me the story about how you and

grandpa met?”

I smiled at Hallie, and tucked the heavy comforter around her more

to seal the heat in from the cool air that filled the room. Peter had

gone to place more wood into the fireplace in the next room. Nights

were always so cold. Colder than the winters I’d remembered from

when I was little.

“Ok, so the young woman had to go to a far off land and find a man

who could help her. She begged this man to come back to Boston

and help her...”

Hallie smiled up at me and interrupted.

“Grandpa!”

I smiled back and cleared my throat. Hallie snuggled under the

blankets more as I continued the story.

“Yes, grandpa. So grandpa came back with me. With the help of

grandpa, great-grandpa Walter and great-aunt Astrid, they were able

to cure the man who the young woman loved with all her heart. But

she didn’t know that he was mean until it was too late. Sometime

later, he passed away. The FBI agent and the man, grew closer

together and they investigated weird things that happened. Just as the

woman and the man grew closer together, the man found out that he

was from another world, one just like this one, but slightly different.

So the man ran away. And then the man was taken away from the

woman. He was taken to that other world, the one just like this.

With the help of great-grandpa and some others, they were able to

cross over. They found the man they were looking for and the

woman saw herself. She could’ve passed as her twin sister. When

great-grandpa and the man returned to our world, they didn’t know

that they did not bring back the right woman, they brought back her

‘twin’. Meanwhile, the woman from this world was trapped on the

other side...”

Hallie’s eyes grew wide as I continued. Her small mouth formed a

large ‘O’ and she watched me with curiosity.

“And then what happened grandma? What happened to the lady?

Did she come back?”

I nodded my head yes though sadly. It was one of those things I

hadn’t even remotely thought about for years. It’d been years since

I’d thought about her. I smiled at Hallie and continued.

“The woman did come back. You see, she had special powers to

help her come back to this world. But when she came back,

everything she knew was different. Even the man she had fallen in

love with, didn’t realize she was gone. The man and the woman

grew apart for awhile because he’d fallen in love with her ‘twin’.

Eventually her ‘twin’ went back to the other world and after a long

while the man and the woman slowly started to get closer again. And

after a couple of years, they married. Then they had a daughter

named Emily...”

Hallie smiled at me with the biggest smile she’d given me in awhile.

“Aunt Emily!”


I smiled as she snuggled under the covers closing her eyes. The rest

of the story would have to wait until tomorrow. So I kissed her on

the forehead and tucked her in some more. Peter came back into the

room and sat on the bed momentarily, stroking Hallie’s hair away

from her face. He kissed her good night and walked out of the room

with me. The floor was freezing against my bare feet, but I

managed.

“She loves hearing you tell her stories of when we were young. She

sees you as a hero Liv. Tomorrow I’d like to place some flowers on

Adán’s grave marker. It’s been awhile since we’ve given him

flowers.”

I smiled at Peter and snuggled in the bed with him, taking off my

glasses. Setting them gently down on the worn down table I closed

my eyes. Even after 35 years in this place, Peter and I have stayed

strong.

To Be Continued...

A/N: So, what’d you guys think? Let me know! Thanks!

[Mancha]

Chapter 4: Charley’s Story


Author: Mancha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fringe characters. But I do own:

Emily, Lily, Pete, Charley, Hallie, Eric and a few other characters

that may come up late in this fic. Date Started: 2/26/11. Date

Finished: 5/5/11. Hope you will all enjoy! Thanks!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


November 6th, 2048 8:30 a.m.

The house was still surprisingly cool for being 8:30 in morning. I'd

gotten up fairly early to make sure the fires in all the fireplaces hadn't

gone out. I heard a noise coming from one of the spare rooms

suddenly, and even though it’s been years since I was in the FBI, my

instincts kicked in and I cautiously went towards the room where the

noise was coming from. Slowly opening up the door, I found Hallie

looking through a trunk with what very few possessions we'd

managed to find when the house fell so many years ago in Boston...

I found her looking through a worn green passport. The gold

embossed print faded but still readable. She turned to me and smiled,

but a question was on her lips.

"Grandma? What is this book thingy for? And why is Uncle

Charley's face on it? It says he was born in Mexico. Where's that?"

I smiled at Hallie and sat down next to her on the couch covered in a

faded out sheet.

"Well when people started becoming mean here, we had to move

away from Boston. We moved to Mexico. Mexico is a big country

below Texas. You know where Texas is right?"

Hallie nodded her head and looked at me with big green eyes.


"Is that why my middle name is Elisabeta? And yes I remember,

grandpa showed me a map the other day. How come Uncle Charley

was born in Mexico grandma?"

Lily had chosen Hallie's middle name, though she'd been too young

to remember her life in Mexico. Nodding my head at her once more

I told her what was the beginning of all the chaos.

“We lived in Mexico for 5 years. Your Aunt Ella was 15 when we

came back to Boston. Uncle Charley was born in Mexico because

Aunt Ella and I were separated from grandpa. We weren't able to get

back up to the United States easily."

Hallie's mannerisms reminded me a lot of Emily while she was

growing up.

"How come you couldn't go with grandpa?"

That was an even harder thing to explain to a 4 year old... I

swallowed momentarily.

“We uh, we got separated... The soldiers wouldn’t let us through

because we didn’t have this green book, only ours were blue. Great

grandpa and grandpa got onto the big bright green bus with Aunt

Emily, your mommy and Uncle. Grandma cried for a long time

when she was separated from grandpa. Aunt Ella and grandma

stayed in a small hotel, it was hard being away from grandpa. And

that’s where Uncle Charley was born. It took Aunt Ella and I a

couple of months before we could come back up here to the states.

We got into a really fast truck with a lot of other people and we

ended up in the desert. Much like where we live. Are there anymore

questions about Uncle Charley?”

I watched as Hallie shook her head no and went back to looking

through the old worn-out trunk in front of her. She picked up a

onesie from the trunk and held it up. She giggled and looked at me.

“Was this Uncle Charley’s too grandma? It’s so little! It can fit on

my dolls!”

I smiled at Hallie and smoothed the hair back from her face. Such

fine long black curls she had. Both Lily and Liam had dark brown

hair, but Liam’s grandmother had black flowing hair. But she was

also Cherokee. There was a knock on the spare room door and I

turned to find Pete in the doorway. He still looked like his father.

“Uncle Pete! It’s you! Where’s Uncle Charley? Didn’t you bring him

with you?”

Her innocence was something I envied. I’d never had the chance to

enjoy that when I was her age. It’s maybe why I’m so protective of

her and spend as much time with her as I can. He caught her and put

her down when she jumped into his arms. He began to cough a little.

“This cough never seems to go away.”

I quickly grabbed Hallie out of Pete’s arms and set her down behind

me. She wasn’t sure what was going on.

“Pete, you should go to the doctor. You might have TB. I don’t

want you to give it to the little kids or the baby.”

Pete nodded his head and walked out of the room. I felt Hallie tug

on my dress behind me as Pete walked out of the room.

“Grandma? What’s TB?”

I was lucky none of my other children had it while growing up. I

smiled down at her and knelt next to her.

“Tuberculosis. It’s where you cough and it sounds like you have the

flu.”

Hallie’s eyes widened and her mouth formed an ‘O’. She started to

cry suddenly. Big fat tears rolled down her face.

“Grandma? Does that mean Uncle Pete is gonna die?”

I lifted her up into my arms and gave her a big hug. I took her out of

the room and down the stairs. She kept crying. Setting her down at

the kitchen table I wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Hallie sweetheart, Uncle Pete is going to be just fine. There is a

doctor that’s going to make him all better. I promise he’ll be just

fine.”

She stopped crying and smiled at me.

“Grandma? Can we make pancakes?”

I smiled at Hallie as I got the mix from the cupboard. She carefully

got the eggs from the fridge and placed them onto the counter. She

sat at the bar on the stool while I flipped the pancakes. When the

pancakes were all finished cooking and were cooling on a plate, I

turned to find that she had pancake mix on her nose. As the two of

us enjoyed a plate of pancakes each, she asked me another question.

“Grandma? Can you tell me another story from when you were

young?”

I smiled and kissed her forehead. I nodded my head and began the

next story of my past.

“Well a long, long time ago when your aunt Ella was seven we went

to an amusement park that used to be in Boston. She loved cotton

candy...”

These were the moments I’d come to appreciate. My family was

together and that was all that mattered.

To Be Continued...

A/N: So what’d you guys think? Let me know! Thanks!

[Mancha]

Chapter 5: High Desert and Long Trek

Author: Mancha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fringe characters. But I do own:

Ella’s daughter Olivia named after her aunt, her husband Eric and a

few others. Oh and all the Dunham-Bishop children and

grandchildren. Date Started: 7/1/11. Date Finished: 7/7/11. Hope you

will all enjoy! Thanks!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 8th, 2048, 9:30 a.m.

25 miles outside the former city of Boston

Peter and I had begun our trek to Boston’s inner city a couple of

hours prior and we were still walking. We kept well covered to

protect our skin from the powerful radiating sun above our heads.

We’d brought plenty of water with us to keep hydrated. Everything

around us was a high desert, and the trek to the middle of Boston

would be very long. We’d buy whatever kind of flowers we could

find when we got there, knowing very well that the flowers would

wilt long before we’d ever reach Adán’s grave marker. I struck up a

conversation with Peter about our four beautiful children, starting

with Emily.

“Peter, do you remember the day Emily was born?”

Peter smiled as we kept walking. My smile grew as I remembered

every detail of the event.

“Of course I do sweetheart. It was a wonderful day. Emily was

perfect when she came out of you. Her cries were the most beautiful

sounds I’d ever heard in my life.”

I gave Peter a small smile continuing our trek towards Boston. It

seemed like a very long way towards Boston than I’d originally

thought. The heat was starting to get to me. With no trees to afford

us any kind of protection from the sun, Peter and I were literally

helpless, being exposed to the sun’s harmful rays. I was starting to

trip, twisted branches beginning to cut into my shoes. The two of us

weren’t as young as we used to be. He helped me up as best he

could, though the heat was clearly getting to him too. The last thing I

saw before the darkness took hold of me was a truck on the horizon.

Then the blackness took hold of me and I saw no more.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing that registered was my thoughts, and a cool cloth to

my forehead. My lips were so parched and my body cried out for

water. Before I had the chance to open up my eyes, a glass was

being brought to my lips.

“Here, drink this.”

A hand helped lift my head up and I felt myself drinking the glass of

cool water offered to me. The disembodied voice spoke once more.

“Take it easy. That’s it. Take your time.”

Slowly and carefully, I opened up my eyes and found that I was in

what were the remains of Boston General. Ironically the same room

in which I’d given birth to Emily 36 years earlier. Memories were

fragmented and scattered. But a lone plastic basinet brought back the

experience as clear as day. So many children were lost here when

the shape shifters came. I turned my head a little and caught a

glimpse of Peter on a small cot next to me. I reached over with one

of my hands and took one of his. He stirred momentarily and opened

his eyes, taking a look around before turned his gaze towards me.

“‘Livia, your ok. Where are we?”

His voice was barely above a whisper. I had to strain to hear him. I

smiled at him with a knowing look in my eyes.

“Take a good look around you Peter. Don’t you remember? This is

where your first born came into the world 36 long years ago. I

remember 21 inches long, 8 pounds and 6 ounces... The day

couldn’t have been more perfect. But now look at this place? So

many children were lost here Peter, because of the shape shifters.

No more children will be lost. Not in our lifetime at least.”

The doctor that had given me the water looked at me with

sympathy. What? Did I really look that much older than I really

was?

“Look, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop we know who you are. And we are

grateful that you saved this world, but I don’t advise the two of you

go outside right now. You could die of heat stroke.”

Peter and I had been fighting to save our decaying universe. But

even with the tear in the other universe sealed and the shape shifters

gone, things had fallen apart. The land had dried up and most of the

lakes and rivers had disappeared. But I didn’t believe that all the

water had disappeared, because Peter and I had dug under the

parched cracked ground and found water. This was the only way we

could find water. But there were certain places I’d heard in Boston

that had their own private water reserves.

“With all due respect doctor...?”

I didn’t recognize him at first, but now I remember. He’d helped me

deliver Adán. So many years ago.

“Hastens. Olivia. It’s been years. We’d thought you and Peter had

passed away long ago. Glad to see some familiar faces.”

I wondered how Doctor Hastens remembered me. He wasn’t the

handsome promising young doctor I remembered, but he was still the

man who had delivered my son. More memories came flooding

back, bringing back the day Adán flew away.

“Even after all these years, I still remember my son Adán’s cries.

Why couldn’t you save him? Why?”

But I’d already known the answer to that question. Even though it

was one I’d asked many times, I knew it could never be answered.

We all looked around when we heard water trickling from

somewhere. Turning my eyes skyward, where the part of the roof

was now missing from where the wood had rotted out long ago, I

found water. Peter was the first to speak.

“Water? But where’s it coming from?”

As more water came down from the rotted boards in the roof, we

realized that it could only be one thing. I let some fall onto my

tongue.

“Peter! It’s rain! Real rain water! But how can that be? There

wasn’t a cloud in the sky. There hasn’t been a cloud in the sky for

the last 33 years!”

The rain continued to fall, but in big fat drops. The thunder and

lightning came. But no one seemed to care. The rain was cool and

refreshing. It tasted wonderful. A bucket was placed under the drips

of water coming from the ceiling. 65 years old and seeing the world

bloom again, was like watching each one of my children being born

through Peter’s eyes. This was truly a miracle in itself. The rain was

enough to invigorate Peter and I. My one thought though at the

moment was: Would it ever snow again?

To Be Continued...

A/N: So, what’d you guys think? Let me know! Thanks!

[Mancha]

Chapter 6: Rain and Hope

Author: Mancha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fringe characters. But I do own:

all the Dunham-Bishop children and grandchildren... Date Started:

8/20/11. Date Finished: 9/1/11 Hope you will all enjoy! Thanks!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

December 20th, 2048

It’s been raining endlessly since November 8th. The ground has

almost become a river. Peter had fixed up the roof and managed to

get the insulation to work in the attic. So the house was staying

warmer than it has been. With only five days left until Christmas we

have little funds in which to get the children presents. The

grandchildren are who I want to find presents for, I could always

make them something. Mom had taught me how to sew well, and

since we didn’t have a sewing machine, I did everything by hand. I

knew just the thing to make for little Olive, a pink blanket with her

name on it. I’d use what little purple thread I had left. The sound of

Olive’s crying rang throughout the house, Katie, my oldest

granddaughter, whose 10 came from the kitchen and looked at me

annoyed.

“Grandma! Can’t you make Olive stop crying! I’m trying to read!”

I looked up at Katie and frowned at her. Finding my sewing needle

and knitting needles, I went about finding my pink yarn and my

purple thread.

“Well, with the attitude you are having right now, looks like you’ll

only be getting coal for Christmas, and believe me, there’s plenty

more where that came from. So I’d start behaving more if I were

you Katie Marie.”

Katie closed her mouth and walked back into the kitchen. From the

corner of my eye I could see her open her book back up. A Little

Princess. I’d read that same copy of that book to Lily when she was

six. Of course my Lily was grown up now, and Hallie was her

daughter. Katie is Emily’s little girl. My grandchildren were my

family. I put down my sewing when Olive continued to cry. I made

my way up the stairs and into the guest room. Her little form was

flailing in Ella’s arms.

“Aunt Liv, she won’t stop crying. I think she has Colic. I’m going to

try and feed her again. She is hungry, because those are her hungry

cries.”

Peter came into the room and frowned a little. He carefully took

Olive from Ella’s arms and rocked her a little. Her tiny hands rubbed

at her eyes. Soon her cries were nothing but whimpers. Her eyes

were closing and she snuggled into Peter’s arms.

“I guess she just wanted to be with grandpa.”

Peter waited a few more minutes until Olive was sound asleep before

placing her back in her basinet next to the bed. Ella looked more

exhausted than I remembered.

“Get some rest while you can baby girl. When she’s sleeping is the

only time for the next 3 years.”

Ella had a long journey ahead of her with this little one. But she had

her husband Eric to help her out with that. He was very good to her;

he even waited on her every want and need. I slowly descended the

stairs along with Peter hand in hand. We both found Katie still in the

kitchen with her book in hand. She squinted in the light.

“Looks like you might need glasses sweetheart.”

Katie shook her head no at me and continued to squint as she read.

Emily walked into the room right then and smiled at me.

“Mom, I overheard you talking from the living room. I completely

agree with you, I think Katie does need glasses. Even at home, with

the light she keeps squinting her eyes to try and see the page from

her book better.”

Peter and I got closer to Katie and looked at her eyes. The light in

the kitchen wasn’t all that great, so Peter pulled out Walter’s old pen

light and shined it in her eyes. She didn’t squint at the light, which

made me very nervous.

“Sweetheart, what do you see when Grandpa Peter shines the light

in your eyes?”

Katie’s face went slack pale as Peter shined the light in her eyes

once more. She swallowed hard.

“Grandma, all I see is shadows... That’s why I have the book so

close to my eyes so that I can see it better, but I just see more

shadows. All of you are just outlines; I can’t really tell who I’m

looking at.”

Emily parted both Peter and I and stood in front of Katie. Katie was

crying now and my gut began to twist with anxiety. I hadn’t felt that

in years. Then I heard Katie say the words I’d never wanted to hear.


“Mommy, why can’t I see you?”

Emily pulled Katie into her arms for a hug. Katie didn’t have any

intentions of letting go of her mother. I reached a hand up to Katie’s

face and stroked it momentarily.

“Everything will be alright sweetheart. Let’s just see what the doctor

says first ok?”

Katie nodded her head following the sound of my voice. Things

weren’t quite going as I had hoped. Hope came in the form of rain,

but with Katie, things weren’t going so well for her. Emily pulled

away from Katie and looked her in the eyes.

“Katie sweetie, how long have you had this?”

Katie followed the direction of her mother’s voice. Peter and I sat

down at the kitchen table when Katie did.

“A couple of weeks. I just woke up one morning. I thought it was

just cause I hadn’t gotten enough sleep. At first things were just

really blurry, and I didn’t think anything of it...”

If we were going into Boston, we’d have to have some sort of boat

to get there, no way a car could get through these waters...

To Be Continued...

A/N: So, what’d you guys think? Let me know! Thanks!

[Mancha]

Chapter 7: A time to share happiness


Author: Mancha.


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fringe characters. So no InFRINGEment intended. Date Started: 9/17/11. Date Finished: 4/14/12. Hope you will all enjoy! Thanks!


December 23rd, 2048


"Grandma, when is it going to stop raining? I can hear it, it's very loud."


I looked at Katie and smiled, I was braiding her hair because she'd asked me to.


"Well we don't know sweetheart. But the ground has been dry for so long and it's so thirsty, it's drinking up all the water it can get. How are you doing? You


haven't really said anything since we got back from the doctor's."


I was worried about Katie. She hadn't been real vocal even when we were at the eye doctor. Her eye sight is almost completely gone... Emily told me that


the doctor when Katie was a baby told her that there was something wrong with her eyes. But they weren't entirely sure what it was... All he said was that


one day she might lose her eye sight. That it was probable. Katie began to cry and I stopped braiding her hair momentarily.


"Grandma, when am I going to be able to see again? Can't they fix it?"


Shaking my head, I remembered the conversation that her eye doctor had with me and Emily earlier today:


"From what I can tell, Katie has been going down this path for years. It was a gradual onset thing. I'd recommend surgery to help bring her sight back, but because


of the way her eyes are shaped, it would do more damage than good. Cataracts in a child are rare, but with the way things are now, I've been seeing more and more


children with the condition."


Breaking out of my reverie I pulled my chair in front of Katie and wiped the tears from her eyes. Kissing her forehead I went back to braiding her hair.


"Sweetheart, I know this is very hard, but the doctor's said that because of your eye shape they don't want to risk damage to your eyes. And yes, Cataracts


are 100% preventable, but it can't be removed."


I was finished braiding her hair and I saw her wrap her arms around my neck and hugged me. She was shaking. I wrapped her arms around me and hugged


her back.


"Hey, I know just what will make you feel better. How about some hot apple cider? And then grandma will tell you a story from when she was young. Would


you like that?"


Katie nodded her head as I helped her up from the chair in the kitchen and into the living room. I helped her lie down on the couch and covered her with the


blanket that had been from when we lived in Boston. It was the blanket that used to be on my old bed from my apartment from so long ago. I helped her sit


up so that she could take a drink of her apple cider.


"Thanks grandma, that's good. Nobody can make hot apple cider the way you do... Mama tries, but she can't get it just right."


I smiled and helped her lie down again. Sitting down in an arm chair across from her I picked up the knitting needles and the yarn, beginning to make Olive's


baby blanket.


"Which story would you like to hear Katie?"


Katie put her index finger up to her lips and thought about it for a moment. Then her face lit up.


"Tell me the one about mommy."


I smiled at Katie and kissed her forehead. Katie closed her eyes and listened as I began my story and began to knit Olive's blanket.


"Emily was me and Grandpa Peter's miracle. In every sense of the way. You see, grandpa Peter and I lost three children before your mom. It was a very sad


time for the both of us. Until one day we got news from the doctor that we were having a baby. Grandpa was so happy that he took me out to a restaurant


that used to sell wonderful Indian food and announced it to the whole world. I'd been embarrassed at the time, but I eventually got over it. Your great-


grandpa Walter, with the allowance the FBI gave him, he spent on buying all these clothes for her, even though at that point we didn't know if the baby was


a boy or a girl. The proudest day of my life was the day your mom was born. Oh, she came out of me screaming and wet, but I loved her. You'll know the


feeling when you're older"


Katie made a face at me and spoke up.


"Ew! Gross! Don't give me all the details about how mommy came out of you! I don't wanna hear that!"


I only chuckled at her and continued knitting.


"Well your lucky your not 13 yet. I'll tell you the whole story, and the real one when you turn 13. For now I'll just give you minor details. Your mother was


special. But she began showing signs of being sick two weeks after we brought her home. She had a high fever and cried and cried. Your grandpa and I did


everything we could to soothe her fever. It was two days before her fever finally broke. Then two weeks later, she was taken away from me. Kidnapped by


men only wanting to take her life. Your mama was found in a dumpster crying and screaming her lungs out in back of Boston General. She didn't have a


scratch on her. Now why anyone would want to throw a baby away is another thing..."


Emily walked into the room suddenly and gave me a shocked expression.


"MOTHER! Why would you tell a child something like that?"


I gave Emily a look I'd given her millions of times since her childhood. Smirking, I looked back down at the blanket I was making for little Olive.


"Oh hush! You know I wouldn't tell a child that. She needs to know what happened to the land. Now that it's getting better, we won't have to worry about


what's past."


Peter came into my line of vision and placed a chaste kiss to my lips. I hear Katie making gagging sounds from the couch.


"You know you have a room for that..."


Emily gave Katie a dark look, even though she knew she couldn't see her.


"Katie Marie, where are you getting all these ideas from?"


Katie shrugged her shoulders and sipped at her hot cider. I went back to squinting at the fabric that was becoming Olive's blanket. Peter's voice paused my


ministrations on the fabric in front of me.


"Well, I got everything patched up on the house. No more leaky roof. I managed to kick start the generator, so we have electricity for a little while. When this


rain finally stops, I'll go into the city and see if I can barter for another generator or two. There are people willing to part with it, so that they can eat too..."


I saw the look on Katie's face, it was one of worry.


"I'm so hungry grandpa. When are we going to get more food? More than just watered down cabbage soup? Can we get some potatoes? We haven't had


potatoes in a long time... Maybe some candied yams as well? Don't you know a guy who sells the stuff?"


I watched as Peter placed a kiss on Katie's forehead.


"Don't worry, I'll find some more food sweetheart. Grandpa just needs to wait for the rain to stop coming down in buckets. I'll see what I can do about the


candied yams. Desert only. Not for dinner ok?"


Katie's smile lit up the room. I hadn't seen that silly smile on her for a long time.


"Grandpa! You need to shave! Your face is all scratchy!"


Peter managed to pick up Katie and swing her in circles before placing her back on the couch. He groaned, letting a kink out of his back.


"I guess grace doesn't come with age. I'm not as young as I used to be. Nothing brightens my day more than a house filled with children's laughter. And your


grandma of course. She will always be my sweetheart sunflower. When you're ready Katie, I have something for you. I want to help you learn how to read.


Let your fingers do the exploring."


Katie looked in Peter's general direction. She started to cry.


"But grandpa! I already know how to read!"


Peter took a seat next to Katie and pulled her into his arms.


"Listen to me Katie Marie. I can teach you how to read with your fingers. There are whole books I can teach you to read with your fingers. Even the story


your reading right now. You know we all support you, don't you? Don't let this stop you from doing what you love sweetheart."


A watery smile spread across Katie's lips and she hugged Peter as if it were for dear life. She kissed him on the cheek.


"Thank you grandpa! Thank you! I promise I'll be a good student."


Peter gave her another hug and them spoke to her once more.


"It's getting late sweetheart. Tomorrow we start out with something simple. The ABC's."


I watched as Katie smiled at Peter. He was helping her accept the hand she was being dealt with. As I focused on my knitting in front of me, I noticed a


change in the noise outside. Then I realized, this was the night that the rain had finally stopped. Maybe we could begin to plant things again, make this


world plentiful with food. My grandchildren at least deserve that hapiness, of being able to have full stomachs at night.


To Be Continued...


A/N: So, what'd you guys think? I f this was blah or missing something let me know, and I'll be happy to fix it. Happy reading, and until next!