AN1: B*tch, I'm back! By popular demand!

The next few weeks, even more glorious because summer was upon them, were perfect. Well, not perfect, but pretty damn good. Without the need for discretion, Olivia and Fitz's relationship flourished. Both extremely busy people, the pair tried their best to see each other as much as they could, work and other obligations permitting. During the weekends when one or the other had to work from home, whoever didn't have to work would just make themselves at home at the others' place for a few hours and keep the other person company. That had the added benefit of being able to pick the others' brain - in general terms, of course - about legal strategy and best arguments that should be used. There were times when they were slammed with work and had to work almost around the clock. During those times, they made sure to at least exchange words via text message.

Being together and talking face to face gave way to a type of "getting to know you" that differed from the many video and phone chats they had during their forced period of discretion. In person, more various debate worthy topics, some serious and some fun, found ways to pop up in the midst of conversation. One night the pair found themselves tossing out two names or things to see which the other chose. Liv asked the first question.

"Peanut butter or jelly?"

"Peanut butter."

"Pepsi or Coke?"

"Pepsi."

"Liv, you can't be serious!" Fitz exclaimed, his eyes wide with incredulity. "The answer is obviously Coke."

"No it's not. I think bottled Coke is disgusting. Pepsi is way better. Wild Cherry Pepsi is great too." Liv sat across from Fitz on a blanket spread across her living room floor, wine and cheese in the middle. It was a Saturday night and neither had any pressing work matters to attend to, so they decided to spend time together in doors. It was very low key, something that they both enjoyed given the constant hustle and bustle of their lives.

"But you know what's funny?" Liv asked before biting off a piece of cheese. Fitz inclined his head, waiting for her response. "I do like fountain Coke, though, while I don't care for fountain Pepsi."

"They taste the same."

"No they don't. Your palette and taste buds just aren't as refined as mine."

"Whatever."

Eventually, they ended up talking about more serious topics, like the Supreme Court striking down key sections of the VRA and all of the new state legislation regarding women's reproductive health whose goal seemed to be to, eventually, get the highest court in the land to strike down a woman's right to abortion.

"Look, I think of myself as apolitical, but I definitely keep up with everything. And while democrats aren't the greatest and given our primarily two party system, I think for me, as a black woman, I rather deal with them than republicans."

"How can you say that? You do realize that it was the republican party that ended - "

"Fitz, stop right there. I'm not even going to let you embarrass yourself by continuing that statement because I already know what you're going to say. You're a smart guy. And being a smart guy, you know that the republican party of years past would not even be identifiable as republican today today. Hell, the republican god Ronald Reagan would probably be too liberal to declare himself a republican today. Republican leaders like your dad - people who may be more conservative, but have sense enough not to alienate people by going too far right and thumping that bible too hard are being overrun by your party's tea party brethren. And, let me tell you, most of the stuff they say alienate many who are not rich white men."

Olivia took a sip of her wine. "Actually, I truly don't understand how so many women - white women in particular - vote for people like that. "Legitimate rape"? Really? Your party needs a PR overhaul."

Fitz, knowing that Olivia made many salient points, just smiled before taking a sip of his own wine. "I'll make sure I fill my dad in on the thoughts of Olivia Pope. Actually, maybe that could be your first big foray into the crisis management world."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"I'm serious, Livvie."

After thinking for a few moments, Olivia replied, "I don't think I'd want to do something like that. I'd help with public interest initiatives, for sure. But other than that, I think I would want stick with crisis management and consulting. A lot of businesses could avoid scandal if they brought in outside consultants to audit some of their programs or guidelines," she finished, munching on a slice of cheese.

"Well, speaking of the formidable Olivia Pope becoming the answers to every business person's prayers - or nightmares - when do you think you'd like to meet Harrison and get some input about this path you're on?"

This question immediately made Olivia tense. Besides from the night of their initial meeting and their time at the gala, they had never truly interacted with each other's friends and families. It was as if they were in their own little world, divorced from any other loving attachments. To be honest, Olivia liked it this way. She didn't want anyones opinions interfering with her relationship with Fitz. Hell, despite the fact that it was Alex who pushed her into Fitz's arms, she wasn't too keen on her sister spending time with Fitz out of fear that her dear older sister would delight in finding ways to embarrass her. From listening to Fitz's many stories about Harrison, Olivia knew that Harrison's opinions were held in great esteem by Fitz. They were best friends and loved each other like brothers. And Olivia was scared that she wouldn't measure up to Harrison's expectations and that Fitz would leave her, or if he didn't leave her, his feelings for her would diminish.

"Well, I mean...this whole crisis management thing is so far off. There's no real need for Harrison and I to talk about it," Olivia hedged, sipping some of her wine.

"That's fine, it would still be good for you to get some preliminary ideas. But, besides from that, I would really like you to meet him." Fitz had been thinking about this for a while. He felt that these past few weeks had settled them in to a nice and stable relationship, one that was still new and they were learning about each other, but still settled enough to where he thought it would be ok to begin to interact with friends and family. As a matter of fact, he planned to keep the promise he made to his parents weeks ago and confirm that he had indeed met someone, someone he was very serious about.

As Olivia's eyes flitted here and there and she worried her lip, Fitz began to see what was troubling her. Despite all of the strides they had made in their relationship, Olivia could be skittish at times. Whereas Fitz was able to put any remaining fears of Olivia leaving him once again, Olivia was still more circumspect about their relationship. Even getting Olivia to bring a change of clothes and toiletries to Fitz's house was a bit of a struggle. He didn't want to push her, but was serious when he told Harrison that this time, Harrison liking and getting along with his significant other was of paramount importance to him. And he knew Harrison would like Olivia, once he got over his reservations about her. Plus, there was no reason that Olivia shouldn't like Harrison. It was a win/win in Fitz's mind.

Intending to assuage any doubts, Fitz took Olivia's wine glass and set it aside before pulling her towards him so that she could sit between his legs with her back pressed against his chest. He leaned down so that he could place a gentle kiss on her neck and then inhaled her sweet scent. "Livvie, I promise, it's no big deal, ok? I was just thinking that it'd be nice for us to get together. We'd have fun," Fitz said, kissing the sensitive spot right behind her ear. "But if you're not ready, that's ok too."

She sighed and turn her head slightly so that she could give him a kiss. "Sure. Why not? What do you have in mind for me finally being in the presence of the great, wonderful and almighty Harrison Wright?" Olivia teased.

Fitz lightly nipped her neck in a friendly rebuke. "Ha ha. Very funny." He waited until her swaps against him died down. "I was thinking about a good old game of baseball. Coincidentally -"

"Or not," Olivia interrupted.

"Coincidentally," Fitz began again, "a couple of days ago, the main partner I work with gave me some tickets to next weekend's Yankees game. Box seats. Are you free?"

Olivia went over her calendar in her head and when she could remember having plans, she agreed to attend. She couldn't lie, Fitz's smile and sigh of relief were endearing.

"This is going to be great, you have nothing to be nervous about. You and Harrison will love each other. I have a good feeling about this." Fitz placed his hand on her neck and pulled her forward, melding her lips with his. His tongue gently dueled with hers for dominance and he won, controlling their languid kiss. Soon, he trailed away from her mouth, kissing his way to the sensitive spot behind her ear. Olivia shuddered and moaned at the sensation. As Fitz's free hand caressed Olivia's body, he whispered in her ear "I have a good feeling about something else, too." Before Olivia knew it, she was on her back and Fitz hovered over her, hurriedly working to divest her of her clothing. Suddenly, Olivia had a good feeling about things too.

As Olivia sat in the stands of Yankee Stadium, she wondered why she even agreed to this outing. Fitz swore that she and his best friend would get along, but Olivia was convinced that even an unknowing passerby would be able to tell something was really wrong. Despite the weather being a lovely 81 degrees, a buffet of food and alcohol being at her disposal, and Fitz looking so cute but so stereo-typically preppy in his Sperry's and khakis, the afternoon was not going as well as Olivia had hoped.

As soon as Fitz formally introduced his best friend to his girlfriend, a slight chill made itself present, despite the bright sunlight and humidity. Harrison wasn't rude or cold toward her, but he was brisk and seemed to prefer to spend his time speaking with Fitz. Olivia tried her best to engage Harrison in conversation. While Harrison wasn't merely giving one word answers, he didn't take it upon himself to extend the conversation. Olivia was a loss - and she couldn't understand what she's done to Harrison to make him act this way towards her. And somehow, Fitz seemed to be the only person in the world who wasn't picking up on any of the tension. Fitz, bless his heart, tried to bridge the gap but couldn't understand why his best friend and girlfriend weren't becoming the fast friends he expected them to become.

At the bottom of the fourth inning, Fitz stood up, letting his party know that he was headed to the restroom and would bring back snacks. Upon Fitz's exit, Olivia looked at the empty chair that was between her and Harrison and sighed. Minutes passes and Olivia and Harrison had yet to speak one word to each other in Fitz's absence. She had just pulled out her iPhone, wanting to text Alex and ask for some advice, when Harrison finally spoke.

"I hate baseball." Harrison's eyes remained focused on the field. "Fitz loves it, though, so a couple of times a year I find myself at games with him. "

Olivia didn't know what to say to out of the blue choice of conversation, but she was going to take advantage of Harrison going out of his way to speak to her. She looked at him - his profile, really - and spoke. "Well, that just goes to show how good of a friend you are to him. My sister and I have definitely gone along for the ride, so to speak, to events just for the sake of the other. It's what you do when you love someone."

Finally, Harrison turned his head and body toward Olivia. He nodded. "That's right. I'm here because I love Fitz. He's like a brother to me."

Olivia knew that Harrison didn't make this statement lightly, and decided to dig for the real issue. "Have I done something to bother you, or to make you feel..." Olivia motioned her right hand wildly, as the word she wanted failed to come to her, "I dunno, some type of way about me, for lack of a better phrase?"

Harrison eyed her, the look on his face inscrutable. "Look, I just don't want Fitz to get hurt. And you...you've already hurt him once -"

"But," Olivia interrupted, ready to defend herself, but Harrison held his hand up, motioning for her to keep it.

"Unintentional or not, you hurt him when you ran out on him and pushed him away." He paused. "Look, I'm happy that he seems happy, that's all I want. However flakey I may think you are, it doesn't matter as long as Fitz is happy."

Olivia bristled at the mild insult, but then decided to let it go. "I can appreciate you looking out for Fitz. My sister and I are the same way with each other, so I get it," she began. "But, I really like Fitz. I more than like him, I..." Olivia trailed off, the implication of her words clear enough. She couldn't say those words out loud for the first time to anyone other than Fitz.

Once again, Harrison eyed her, his eyes locked on to hers and looking for any sign of deception. Olivia starred back without blinking or faltering, lest Harrison use that against her and proof of her unworthiness for his best friend and surrogate brother. Whatever he found - or didn't find - must have assuaged most of the doubts Harrison had about Olivia, for he merely nodded and turned his focus back to the game. Olivia took that moment to exhale slowly and quietly. She knew this was important - she'd passed Harrison's test. And with that passing grade came a turning point for the two of them, as Harrison began to make small talk as they waited for Fitz. Given the fact that neither of them cared much for baseball, it was easy to focus on each other and try to learn more about the other the way Fitz must have intended.

"You know, Fitz told me that you were thinking of leaving the law to consult."

"Well, I don't know if I would call crisis management consulting, but I guess it would be in the same family," Olivia responded.

"It definitely is. Personally, my focus is strategy and marketing. However, there are some clients that I've been with for a long time and, as such, they sometimes come to me when shit hits the fan. In those cases, yea, I would be considered a crisis manager. There have been a couple of times where I've picked Fitz's brain to get free legal advice in the areas where I don't have much experience," Harrison finished, laughing as he drank the last bit of his beer. He frowned at his empty cup and peered in the direction of the nearest concession stand in search of Fitz.

"I'd definitely like to hear more about that. Honestly, I do enjoy practicing - most of the time - but I'm seriously considering branching out."

"You're not the first, and you sure as hell won't be the last. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret my legal education and how that knowledge informs my day to day work as a consultant and strategist. That said, rolling the dice and deciding to no longer practice was one of the best decisions I've ever made."

When FItz finally made his way back to the pair, hands full with three each of loaded hot dogs, chips, and cans of beer, he found Olivia and Harrison chatting animatedly with one another. Internally, Fitz sighed in relief. He wasn't ignorant of the tension between his best friend and his girlfriend. He tried his best to bridge the gap, but that only seemed to make Harrison testy and Olivia revert into herself. Deciding that a reprieve may be his best bet, Fitz hoped that in his absence they'd be forced to interact without him there as a buffer - for better or worse. Luckily, it seems that neither were worse for wear.

Harrison noticed Fitz's return first and stood up to help his friend with the snacks. "What took you so long, man?"

"Long lines at the concession stand," Fitz said as he settled himself back into his seat. "I hope hot dogs and chips are ok?" He posed this question to Olivia, as he already knew that Harrison would be fine with his selections (and, that was further confirmed as he watched Harrison waste no time taking a big bite out of the hot dog and following that up with a few chips.

"It's baseball. Hot dogs and beers are staples. Cheers." The trio gave each other beer salutes and focused back on the game.

After the rough beginning, the rest of the day was damn near perfect. There were two slow starts that day: the Yankees, who trailed by 2 runs by the bottom of the fifth inning, and Olivia and Harrison, the latter of which seemed to barely be able to look at the former. And now, the Yankees won (5-3) and Harrison and Olivia were joking with each other over dinner like they'd known each other for years.

As Harrison passed the steamed dumplings to Olivia, he looked at Fitz. "Fitz, we should've done this sooner, man."

Fitz grinned in between bites of his edamame. "Sooner? The only reason you go is because I drag you with me."

Waving him off, Harrison continued. "Not baseball, you know I hate that shit, I just go to keep you company like the great man and friend that I am."

"The same way I keep you company at tennis matches."

"Ok, now see, that's because you have no taste. I have to support my girl Serena Williams at her matches."

Olivia perked up at that. "I love Serena. She, and her sister Venus, got me into watching tennis in the first place. I really hope she can get over the nerves get #18 soon."

"So, does this mean you and I will be going to the US Open in a couple of months? Wouldn't it be amazing if we saw her make history there?" Harrison proposed to his new friend.

"Definitely!" Olivia agreed, smiling at Harrison.

Now, an insecure man might have had some misgivings about his girlfriend and his best friend essentially arranging a date right in front of him. Fitz, however, loved it. For one, he knew he was welcome to crash their outing if he chose to do so. Secondly, never in their years of knowing each other did Fitz ever feel that his trust in Harrison was misplaced. From being study partners and relying on Harrison for class notes and exams, to family issues, to girlfriends, Harrison was always there and gave Fitz no reason to doubt him (and Fitz was the way with Harrison). Lastly, this - Harrison and Olivia being friendly and establishing their own friendship - was what Fitz wanted. What more could he want? What could go wrong?

Harrison reached across the table to pat Fitz loudly - and hard - on the back. "You were right, Fitz. Olivia is about to be my new buddy."

"That's right! And Fitz, you can just stay home since you don't appreciate tennis and Serena like we do," Olivia said, smiling sweetly at him before giving him a peck on the cheek.

"See! This is why I'm glad you didn't marry Mellie. She's have never gone to watch tennis with me - not even if you were there, not even as a favor to you. She was selfish and didn't give a damn about anyone - " Harrison looked to be in the beginning of a full on rant before Olivia interrupted him.

"Marry? Fitz, you were going to get married?" Olivia questioned, shock and disbelief on her face. For all of their time together and their numerous discussions - and talking about themselves, their lives, and backgrounds over the phone or FaceTime was almost all they had during their drawn out period of discretion. Fitz had never mentioned having almost getting married... What the hell?

In the midst of Olivia's internal conversation, the two best friends could only stare at each other. Harrison's face, marked with an "oh shit, I'm sorry!" expression was almost as bad the look of "I fucked up" on Fitz's face.

AN2: Happy Fireworks and BBQs Day!

Shout out to Cakes, Liz and Lauren - they are the main reasons I updated this story, as those who know me know that after 3.18, I stopped watching the show no longer cared for nor rooted for Olitz. Thanks to my tumblr followers and those who sent me PMs/reviews letting me know there was still a lot of interest in this story. I've had half of this chapter update sitting in my Evernote drafts for 3 years now, and I wanted to get it out of my drafts and posted. I'm not sure if this story will ever be completed (though I do have it completely outlined, and have had it outlined since the beginning). I would need at least 7/8 more chapters to do things as I planned, and I don't have it in me to continue writing about Olitz (which sucks, because I love Jaime and Alex SOOOOOOOO much and had some cute stuff planned for them).

FYI for the folks following my other Scandal multi-chapter stories: I put "complete" next to The Trail Redux. I originally planned to do one more chapter as sort of a stream of consciousness about the presidential trail, but that would have required me to rewatch 2.11. NOPE. The last chapter I wrote works as an ending, so that story is done. As for Fragments, that story will never been added to or completed. It's a wash. Sorry to those still hoping for an update.

Also, clearly all of the political discussion in this chapter is "old". I started the chapter sometime in 2014 (and totally planned to have Fitz take Liv to the On The Run Tour, lol. Oh, also, for those that don't now, Serena did make history and did capture her 18th slam at the US Open that year!), so those topics were everywhere. Plus, I didn't feel like doing more work than necessary (including discussing Cheeto) to finally get this chapter out.

Lastly, minus that Kendall commercial, Pepsi Coke.

Until next time...whenever that may be!