Okay so we've finally reached the end of this fic after a little over 3 years since it was posted and about 2 years since it was last updated. I'm going to give you guys a heads up right now, so there hopefully won't be any confusion… there will be some flashes back and flashes forward to make it more suspenseful. I'm not sure if it'll work, but it doesn't hurt to give it a try right? If the flashes back and forth are annoying, I'll go back and put things in proper order and then update this chapter again. Just let me know. With that being said, I really hope you enjoy this last long overdue chapter and please excuse any errors. I only proofread 50% of this chapter.

Fitz spent approximately three weeks in the hospital until he was finally cleared to go home. During his time spent in the hospital, Olivia refused to leave his side. Every day she gave the nurses hell when they informed her visiting hours were over and that she would have to leave. Huck also refused to leave Fitz's side. Although they believed no one else was after Olivia, they weren't one hundred percent sure and weren't about to take any chances by letting their guards down. Plus Huck wasn't comfortable leaving either of them alone and defenseless.

Until Fitz recovered, Huck promised to take over for him being Olivia's bodyguard, which Fitz was more than grateful for because he knew his best friend not only had his own job to do, he also had a family that needed him. Huck had to give Fitz props, being Olivia's bodyguard was proving to be a lot challenging than what Fitz led on. His job was to protect her and eliminate risks. Olivia, however, had a tendency of throwing all caution to the wind and taking a lot of risks. At first the job wasn't hard for him because all Olivia did was spend her days and nights in Fitz's hospital room.

But once he was released from the hospital, she had been driving him nuts and getting on every last one of Fitz's nerves. Fitz was a very private person that was used to doing everything on his own. He was annoyed that Olivia had not been giving him any space and would do everything for him. Although it hurt to do almost everything at the moment, he preferred to do them in pain by himself than have Olivia keep hovering over him, doing it for him. His job was to take care of her, not the other way around.

The more she did for him, the angrier he became like he was presently, while she was firing out questions asking him how he felt, if he needed anything, was he comfortable enough, etc. Fitz felt like he was suffocating and more importantly felt like suffocating her because she would not leave him alone. All he wanted to do was go to sleep, but she was making that extremely difficult like everything else she did in his life. However, his breaking point was when he reached out to grab his bottle of prescribed pain medication, placed on the nightstand next to his side of the bed, and Olivia did it for him. He dropped his head back onto the pillow with a deep sigh that sent a sharp pain through his body and made him not only wince, but become more irritated.

"I can get it myself." Fitz growled through gritted teeth and snatched the pill bottle from out of her hand.

That action again sent another pain shooting through his body. He clenched his jaw tighter until the pain subsided.

Olivia looked at him curiously, wondering where his sudden attitude came from. "O-kay, do you need anything else then?"

"No, for the thousandth time!" He finally snapped with his voice raised.

"Okay, what's your problem?!" Olivia yelled at him.

"You! You're my problem! I get it, you care about me but you are smothering the hell out of me and it's pissing me off. I am capable of doing things by myself you know. I don't need your help and I don't need you."

Fitz obviously didn't mean that last part, but like most human beings that get upset; he said something he didn't mean in the heat of the moment. He immediately felt bad when he noticed her eyes glazing over with tears.

"Oliv-"

"Fine. I'll stop bothering you. Goodnight Fitz." Olivia said, cutting him off, before quickly sprinting out of the room in tears.

Fitz sighed, feeling like a complete ass. All she was doing was trying to take care of him, making sure he healed properly and limited his pain and as a thanks to her, he flipped out on her. He took two pills like the doctor told him to and took a swig of water to assist him in swallowing them. He was contemplating going after Olivia, but thought it was better to just give her space plus he'd been craving some time to just himself. He'll apologize tomorrow once they both cooled down. Tomorrow was taking a while to come though since he was having a hard time falling asleep. He was bone tired, but had a weird feeling, a bad feeling to be exact if he had to describe it better. Something felt wrong, felt off and whatever it was made him get out of bed.

He grabbed his gun and slowly limped his way through the guest house. Everything seemed in place, but something still didn't feel right to him. He figured he was just being paranoid, but the strange unsettling feeling he felt in his gut was still there. Before he could stop himself, he took off running faster than he had ever in his life. Because of the adrenaline coursing through his body, he didn't feel any pain. He was sure when he stopped though his body was going to feel like it got hit by a train.

Fitz punched in the alarm code to the main house and slowly opened the front door. He gently closed the door, so it wouldn't make any noise. He cautiously maneuvered throughout the first floor of the house, making sure it was all clear and nothing was out of the ordinary. Seeing that everything was good downstairs should've put Fitz at ease, but he still couldn't seem to shake that feeling that something was wrong. He quickly made his way up the stairs on Olivia's side, taking them two by two. He made sure to take light steps on his tip toes to avoid making noise.

When he reached her bedroom, he noticed the door was slightly ajar. Red flag number one. Olivia never kept her door open. If the door was open then that meant it was unlocked. Red flag number two. Olivia never kept her bedroom unlocked while she slept. He inspected the door to see if there was any damage indicating that someone had broken in, but there was none. He slowly pushed it open with his gun leading ahead of him. What he saw when he stepped into the room was a dark figure standing over Olivia. Acting on impulse, Fitz shouted, "Freeze!" which startled Olivia awake from her peaceful slumber.

"FITZ!" She shrieked in terror.

The mystery person spun around with a gun in their hand that was identical to the one Fitz had in his and pointed it at him with their right index finger on the trigger. A shot was fired.

Flash forward: Nine years later… Present Day

"Mama, come on!"

Five year old Benjamin called out to his mother who was walking behind him as he ran ahead of her.

"Benji, slow down before you fall and get hurt!" Olivia called after her eager son.

They were currently walking through a cemetery to visit a loved one Olivia lost several years ago and Benjamin never had the opportunity to meet.

"Here it is, Mama." He turned to his mother with a large triumphant smile on his face.

"Good job buddy." Olivia stated proudly as she walked up beside him.

With her hand, she ruffled his short curls affectionately. Benjamin laughed and pushed his mother's hand away from his head.

"What was he like again Mama?"

"He was a lot like you. You remind me so much of him. I really wish the two of you got to meet each other. He would've loved you just as much as I do."

Benjamin's eyes widened in amazement, believing he just heard the coolest thing ever.

"Really?"

Olivia smiled down at her baby boy, "Really."

Flashback to Nine years ago…

Fitz was the one who fired the single shot, piercing them in their left shoulder with a bullet. The yet to be identified person instantly fell to the floor, dropping their gun in the process.

"If you so much as move another inch, I'll blow your goddamn brains out." Fitz threatened in a low warning tone that told the perpetrator not to try him when they attempted to reach for their gun. He was on one knee with the barrel of gun pressed firmly against their head.

Olivia was sat up in her bed with her hands covering her mouth. Her body violently shook as she silently sobbed, while staring down at Fitz and the person that was about to take her life. Over the last few months, she only felt terrified a handful of times, but never felt more afraid in her life like she did in this very moment.

"Slowly put your hands up so I can see them clear as day." Fitz demanded as he cocked his glock, ready to fire another shot if tempted. They complied and slowly raised their hands where he could visibly see them. "Liv, I need you to turn on the light for me. Can you do that?" He asked her, never taking his eyes off of the person.

"I-I can't." She stuttered through her tears and fear.

Using his other hand, he applied pressure to the transgressor's wound to make sure they didn't move a muscle. They howled in pain, but Fitz ignored them. Most of his attention was occupied by Olivia.

"Liv, I need you to be brave for me okay. I need for you to switch on the light so I can see who this person is. Please. It'll be okay, everything will be okay, I promise."

His reassuring words were all she needed to hear in order to gain enough courage to reach over to switch the bedside table lamp on after taking a deep breath. As soon as light illuminated the room, Fitz used the hand that wasn't holding his gun to yank the person's hood off, so he could get a better look at them

Flash Forward to Present Day…

It amazed Olivia how much her son looked so much like her and Fitz. His skin complexion was a light caramel color. He had short light brown curly hair that matched the color of his eyes; he inherited his father's nose and his mother's pouty lips. His personality was outgoing like Olivia's, but he had Fitz's protective side in him. Overall, he was a sweet, affectionate boy that loved to laugh and loved being in front of the camera just as much as his mother.

The public adored Benjamin Aaron Grant. The Gap even called Olivia, not too long ago, asking her permission for Benjamin to be a model for their kids' clothing line. Olivia was open to the idea of her son becoming a child model, but Fitz… not so much. He felt Benjamin was too young to understand what being in the entertainment business meant. Olivia thought he was overreacting, but she knew his past and why he was so overprotecting of their son. He loved that little boy more than anything in the world. Benjamin was Fitz's world. The day he was born was the best day of Fitz's life not including his wedding day. He would brutally murder anyone that dared hurt his child or any of the children he and Olivia might have in the future.

It was her brother's birthday and her family was celebrating it the way they always did every year. They visited Benjamin's grave first thing in the morning, afterwards they played in the pool since that was his favorite pastime even though he couldn't really swim that well, and finally they recalled their favorite memories of him over a delicious home cooked meal.

"He's in a better place now right Mama?"

"That's right baby. Do you remember where Daddy and I said Uncle Benny was?"

Benjamin nodded his head vigorously, "Uh huh, he's in heaven with God."

Olivia kissed her son's forehead. "Yes he is and he's looking down on us right now."

"Do you think he likes me?"

"I know he loves you. You would be his best friend if he were still here on Earth." Olivia croaked, getting choked up a bit.

"Are you okay Mama?" Benjamin asked worriedly, looking up at his teary eyed mother.

"Yeah, I just really miss your Uncle Benny."

Benjamin hugged his mother's leg. "It's okay Mama, don't cry. Uncle Benny is safe with God. God will never let anything or anyone hurt him ever again." He assured her.

Olivia leaned down and lifted her son into her arms. "I know baby, thank you." She kissed his forehead and held his body close to hers.

Benjamin rested his head on his mother's shoulder as she silently shed several tears for her deceased brother. Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

"Daddy!"

Flashback to Nine Years Ago…

One police officer escorted a handcuffed Aaliyah to his squad car as he read her her Miranda rights, while another jotted down Olivia's, Fitz's, Maya's, and Eli's statements in his flip top notepad. Before the officer placed Aaliyah in the back of the squad car, Olivia asked if he could hold on for a second and he accepted her request. Olivia nodded to him in appreciation for his generosity before turning to her cousin.

"Why did you do it?" She asked her.

Staring America's sweetheart directly in the eyes, Aaliyah spat with disgust, "Because you have everything and I have nothing. You have always gotten everything you've wanted even though you deserved none of it… even him." She nodded towards Fitz, who was watching them from several feet away with Huck standing beside him.

Olivia nodded, accepting her cousin's response, but remained quiet. The cop took her silence as his cue to proceed with his arrest. Olivia walked over to where Fitz and Huck were standing. She immediately went up to Fitz and rested her forehead against his black t-shirt clad chest. He opened his arms and held her tightly against him, even though that simple act caused more pain to consume his body. Earlier he took the appropriate amount of his medication to alleviate some of the excruciating pain, but felt like they did absolutely nothing because his entire body still felt like it was on fire. He was immune to aches and soreness, but blazing agony was a feeling he would never get used to.

"I'm sorry. I should've been here with you guys." Huck apologized to the both of them.

He felt like the whole thing was his fault. Things wouldn't have gotten as extreme as they did if he was there. He believed he could have been able to prevent it all from happening and since he didn't he felt guilty, guilty for leaving his best friend, who was still recovering, to defend Olivia and parents on his own.

"It's not your fault." Fitz told him.

Huck shook his head, refusing to believe that. "It is my fault. I should've been here with you guys. I shouldn't have left you."

"Huck, you have a family that needs you. Protecting Olivia and her parents is my job, not yours. You've already done enough for me."

"And me." Olivia added with her arms still lightly wrapped around Fitz's middle.

"I told you to go be with your family. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I'm the one that let my guard down."

Fitz wasn't going to let Huck take the blame for something that he had no control over and Olivia wasn't going to let either of them blame their selves for her cousin's betrayal.

"It's neither of your faults. The only person that is at fault is Aaliyah, no one else. She's the one that orchestrated this whole thing. Now I will take some blame for provoking her to act in such a drastic manner. It was my spoiled rich kid behavior that caused her to go after me and attempt to kill me. You both were only trying to protect me and you succeeded. I'm alive and well. You've done your jobs."

Fitz and Huck looked at each other and nodded. They couldn't argue with her. Fitz had several stitches to prove he did everything in his power to keep Olivia alive. Since it was still night, they all decided to get some shut eye. Olivia's parents went back to their bedroom in the main house, while Olivia slept in Fitz's room in the guest house, too afraid to go back in her bedroom after the events that occurred in there. Fitz, however, was in too much pain to sleep and Huck was on high alert. Both men knew there were no more goons coming after Olivia, but wanted to be cautious just in case anything were to transpire again.

"So… what happens now?" Huck asked Fitz.

They were each sitting in a chair at the kitchen table, both nursing a glass of scotch. Fitz's glass was filled to the brim. He had a high pain tolerance, but he just couldn't bear the agonizing pain assaulting his body and pills weren't working, so he turned to the second best anesthetic he knew, scotch.

Taking a sip of his drink, Fitz replied, "I don't know. I have to find a replacement for me and Jake so I'll most likely stay here until I find one."

"Do you have any guys in mind?"

"A few." Fitz replied simply with a shoulder shrug.

"So I take it you're leaving then." Huck inquired, but it was more of statement than a question.

Fitz's eyes dropped to his glass and watched his finger glide around the rim of it. "I have to as much as I would like to stay with her, I can't. It's… it's not safe for either of us. I have no choice but to leave."

He put that as best as he could that made sense to Huck, but Huck wasn't dumb. He knew why Fitz couldn't stay with Olivia.

"You know she's going to flip out, don't you."

Still unable to make eye contact with Huck, Fitz nodded, "Yeah."

"That's all of it." Fitz informed Huck as he threw the last of his belongings in the back of Huck's granite crystal Jeep Wrangler.

It only took Fitz a few days to find two gentlemen that he knew very well, were good at their jobs, and that he trusted to replace he and Jake as Olivia's new bodyguards. One was an older gentlemen that looked to be somewhere in his late forties and the other was a few years younger than the first one. He specifically chose the both of them because he knew they would act strictly professional. Finding the men was the easy part, telling Olivia… well that was the hard part.

It was one of the hardest things he's ever had to do. She threw the biggest tantrum. She yelled at him, called him everything but the son of God, hit him, and he sat there and took all of it because he knew he was the reason for her broken heart. When she was all burnt out, she dropped to her knees in front of him, and begged him not to leave her. He remembered the words she cried out to him.

"Please don't go Fitz! Please! You promised me you wouldn't leave me if you could help it." Olivia wailed.

"I'll always be there for you. Anytime you need me all you have to do is pick up the phone and call me." Fitz tried to calm her with his reassuring words, but the effect they usually had on her didn't work this time. In fact, they only made it worse because she started weeping harder than she was before.

"No! I want you here with me all the time!"

"I can't Liv. But know that no matter where I go, I'll always be a part of you." He took her hand and placed his dog tags in it. "And I'll always love you."

Olivia was stunned that he actually told her that he loved her. It wasn't how she imagined he would profess his love for her and she even convinced herself that he was never going to, but that was fine by her because she still knew he reserved a special place solely for her in his heart. She knew she should've been beyond excited that Fitz finally said he loved her to her, but instead she angrily stood up and slapped him hard across his face. How dare he tell her he loved her, while also telling her he was leaving her. Without saying another word, she stormed out of his room, leaving a dejected Fitz sitting on the side of his bed with a splitting headache and a heavy heart filled with regret.

Fitz walked around to the passenger side of the jeep and was about to get into the vehicle, but stopped. He sensed her. He looked around the property until his eyes finally landed on her. She was watching him from the large balcony overlooking the entire backyard. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy with trails of tears flowing down her cheeks. He could tell she was trying to be strong and hold back her emotions, but somehow her tears seemed to slip through the tiny cracks in the wall she built up. He took one last long look at her, so he could have a vivid image of her ingrained into his memory before finally hopping into Huck's Jeep.

It had been two years since Fitz left out of Olivia's life. He thought she was going to call him, but she never did and neither did he. There were times where both would pick up their phones with the intention of contacting the other, but never got passed dialing the other's number. Olivia was too heartbroken and knew she wouldn't be able to survive if she called him and he didn't answer. He promised he would answer if she called and go to her if she asked, but his word meant nothing to her since he also promised he would never leave her and did in the end. Fitz's reason for not calling her was for the same reason. He didn't want to call her and get her hopes up only to bring more heartbreak to her. He couldn't stand to see her hurt, especially knowing he was the cause of her pain.

Eventually they both moved on. Fitz continued to temporarily protect important people as long as they were not in the entertainment industry. It took Olivia a little over a year to even look at another man. She moved into the guest house after Fitz left and stayed in the same room he stayed in. Getting over him was not easy. Her parents convinced her to buy a place of her own and start over. There were just too many things that reminded her of Fitz in their home. There was no way Olivia would have been able to heal her broken heart if she was constantly reminded of the man that broke it. After all, he wasn't just any ole guy, he was her first. There was no getting over him, no matter how many people told her she would.

A few months ago, she went on her first date with a man since her and Fitz "broke up". The man was around the same age as her and they met while they were working on a movie together. His name was Franklin James, but preferred to be called by his stage name "Frankie J". He was a very nice and handsome light skinned African American male with an incredible physique. He was tall like Fitz and exactly the same height as him, but he wasn't him and that was the problem. Olivia really tried to give all of herself to Frankie, she really did, but that was impossible to do since a piece of her was forever with Fitz. She came to the conclusion that she needed more time to heal and was very honest with Frankie. She admitted that she still held strong feelings for her ex and would not be fully committed to their relationship if they were to get into one. Frankie was understanding and appreciated her honesty.

Now here she was several months later, backstage at the Golden Globes. She was up next to present the award for best animated feature film of the year once the winner for best performance by an actress in a television series drama finishes her acceptance speech. Olivia took a deep breath. This wasn't her first time presenting an award at such a prestigious event, but she still got a little anxious.

"Nervous?"

Olivia froze. The deep voice that came from somewhere behind her sounded very familiar, too familiar. She wanted to believe that she imagined it, but it was too clear to have been a hallucination. She slowly turned around to face the person the voice belonged to. Her breath hitched at the sight of him. She even blinked several times to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. Standing only a few feet away was the man she had been pining over for the last two years, in the flesh and boy did he look dashing in a black tuxedo accessorized with a matching necktie.

"Fitz?" Olivia whispered out his name in disbelief.

Fitz flashed her a small smile, "Hi."

"Hi."

Tears pricked her eyes, threatening to spill from them as she ran into his arms. Fitz immediately opened his arms and embraced her in a tight hug. With his arms securely wrapped around her midsection, he lifted her up and spun her around. Olivia held onto him for dear life, relishing in the feeling of having his strong arms holding her again. Fitz didn't mind that the side of his neck was being soaked by her tears because he knew they were happy tears.

"What are you doing here?" Olivia asked him, once he carefully placed her back on her feet. "I thought you quit show business." Using the pads of her fingers, she wiped away her tears with caution, so she didn't smear her mascara.

Fitz chuckled, "I did but I changed my mind."

Olivia's face slightly fell. She was kind of upset that he decided to return to showbiz and not take her back on as a client. She also wondered which celebrity he was protecting now.

"So… who are you here for?" She inquired in a joking tone, even though in the inside her blood was boiling with jealousy and envy of whoever that person was.

"You." Fitz said simply without missing a beat.

Olivia scrunched her face. "Me?"

"Yes you."

"Why after two years have gone by you now choose me?" She asked with her hands on her hips and a hint of anger present in her voice.

Fitz knew she wasn't going to accept him back into her life without putting up some kind of fight. She never did make anything easy for him and she clearly wasn't about to start now.

He sighed, "I know I left you after promising I wouldn't and I'm so sorry for that. I had a different mindset then. I'm even sorrier it took me two years to figure that out."

They both knew his words were chipping away her hard exterior with every syllable he uttered.

"I'm sorry it took me two years to realize that the man I am without you is… I'm nothing and you are everything and I need for you to give me another chance. I demand another chance. If you really love me then you will agree with me when I say we are worth another chance."

Olivia shook her head slowly, "I can't go through what I did before, Fitz. I can't survive another heartbreak as bad as the last one you caused. That one damn near destroyed me. What made it worse is the fact that I couldn't try to mend my broken heart by moving on from you with another man. You ruined me Fitz, for any other man. I'm ruined." She said weakly, sniffing back her shed tears.

"I'm ruined too. There was only ever one other woman that I let in my life before I met you. Her name was Mellie. I met her a few years back. We were together for about three years and I developed strong feelings for her. Unfortunately, she got tired of me going away for months at a time because of my job and eventually fell in love with another guy. I couldn't be mad at her even though I felt betrayed by her. I understood where she was coming from. I wished her the best of luck in life and watched her walk out on me. About a few months later, I found out that she and her husband were murdered. After that day, I vowed to never love another thing because everything I've ever loved was taken away from me. The people that I loved were killed or at least harmed in some way. I was scared Liv. I was scared you would suffer the same fate if I stayed so I left for your safety."

That was Olivia's undoing, hearing Fitz admit that he was scared, admit that he actually had feelings, admit that he was like everyone, admit that he was simply a human and not a machine. She had broken bits and pieces of the barricade he put up around himself, but tonight she was finally able to do what she thought was the unmanageable and that was break through it completely and see the real Fitz instead of the shell of the man he had become. He was allowing her to see him vulnerable and bare.

Olivia grabbed Fitz by the back of his neck and crashed his lips onto hers. It had been two years since she felt his soft lips against hers. Now here she was kissing him in present time. Their kiss was one filled with burning passion and longing. Fitz's hands cupped both sides of Olivia's face as he deepened it. He slipped his tongue into her mouth where they battled each other for dominance, neither backing down. They didn't pull apart until Olivia's contact person awkwardly cleared her throat, alerting them of her presence.

"Uh sorry to interrupt you Miss Pope but it's almost time for you to go out on stage."

The timid woman, who looked to be a couple years older than Olivia, informed her.

"Okay, give me one second." She smiled at her before turning back to Fitz. "I'll be right back. Promise to wait for me?"

"I promise I'll be right here when you get back."

Olivia pecked his lips one last time and used her thumb to wipe some of her lipstick that got on his lips off before she followed her contact person. Just as her name was being announced, she turned to look at Fitz, who smiled and winked at her. She smiled back at him and turned back to face the audience.

Back to Present Day…

"Daddy!" Benjamin yelled excited when he saw his father approaching them.

Olivia turned around to see her husband of six years walking up to them with flowers in his hand. Benjamin squirmed out of his mother's arms and ran over to his father. Fitz bent down and picked up his son.

"Hey bud." He greeted his offspring with a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi daddy." Benjamin smiled brightly at his father.

Fitz walked over to where Olivia was standing. "You okay?" He asked his wife.

Olivia nodded as she wiped away her tears. "Yeah."

He knew she felt a little guilty for what happened to her little brother; he was just happy that she stopped beating herself up so much for his death after attending many therapy sessions. He set the flowers he bought for Benjamin on his tombstone before embracing his wife in a much needed hug. Olivia held onto him like her life depended on it and cried into his shoulder. Fitz remained silent as he allowed her to release most, if not all of the pain out. He and his little man just held the woman they loved as she grieved for her brother. When her cries turned into sniffles, she pulled back and wiped away the rest of her tears.

"I'm ready." Olivia said weakly.

Fitz simply nodded. He knew what Olivia meant by that. She meant that she was ready to go. They all wished Benjamin a happy birthday and bade him goodbye before they made their way to their car. Olivia was sad that her brother was no longer with them on earth, but she was also happy that she was able to share her life with her wonderful son, whom she loved more than life itself and a man, who was more than just the love of her life and best friend. He was her protector. He was her bodyguard and she wouldn't have him any other way.

Author's Note: Well that's it! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Yay, I completed a fic! As always I hope you all enjoyed!