I am so sorry this took so long. I could give you a bunch of excuses ranging from school to my recent obsession with The West Wing, but here's the update finally! Notice the rating change! YES, this story is now M-rated. This is the closest I've ever written to anything resembling smut so if it's completely awful please tell me and I will never ever do it again. That being said, it seemed like something to experiment with..so I did (even though I'm not completely happy with the product).

Thank you if you're still reading this story and once again, sorry for taking so long. Your continued reviews were good encouragement to finally finish this chapter which I've had half-finished for ages. So, hopefully you enjoy and aren't upset about the rating change. Also since the winter finale I, like many of you, have quit Scandal as I have decided I no longer need such a trash show in my life. I still love Olitz, but I can't watch them be degraded for an hour every week. Honestly, more power to you if you're still watching though, I wish I was that strong. Also, reminder that I'm my own proofreader so I apologize for any dumb mistakes that I didn't catch.

Okay, super long author's note that basically told you nothing. Anyway thanks for all the love you've given to this story, it means a lot!

"So, I cooked." Fitz told her, leading her into his townhouse. She bit down a grin as she recalled Abby's words from earlier.

"You can cook?" Liv asked dubiously. She raised an eyebrow in his direction while she followed him into the kitchen.

"Yes, I can. I'm offended that you're so surprised by that." He quipped. She felt the butterflies turn up in her stomach as she watched him plate their food, shrimp scampi from what she could tell. He bent over, pulling garlic bread out of the oven.

"Let me guess, you baked that bread from scratch." Olivia teased, easily falling into their comfortable rhythm. Fitz chuckled.

"No, this is Texas Toast. I couldn't dream of making my own bread this good." He threw a couple pieces onto a plate. "Besides, I sort of just got back from a cross country trip. I didn't quite have time to bake you bread from scratch."

"Next time, then." She joked.

"Wow, not even ten minutes into the first date and I already scored a second?" He seemed genuinely surprised by her statement, though definitely pleased.

"Well, only if the food is good."

"Ah, I see, you're after me for my cooking skills."

Liv laughed and crossed the kitchen to be closer to him. Whenever she was around Fitz, she felt like there was a magnet pulling her to him. Even when they were trying their hardest to remain professional, there had been little touches constantly; they would look for any excuse to brush hands, when walking through doorways Fitz would put his hand low on her back to guide her.

Now that they'd truly acknowledged their feelings, now that they were on their first date, she wondered why she felt more hesitant to touch him now than she ever had before. She thought maybe it was because now it could go further. Previously any touches had been innocent, harmless, for the most part.

Besides, they were always in public. In Fitz's apartment though, after that mind-blowing kiss the other night, she was sure even innocent touches would lead to more. She didn't know how either of them would be able to help themselves.

Fitz glanced over at her when she finally stopped, a few feet from him, leaning against the counter. She felt herself heat up as Fitz's eyes raked up and down her body. She took another step toward him and Fitz cocked an eyebrow at her.

"If you keep distracting me like that, the food won't be good anymore by the time we get to it." He warned.

"I'm distracting you?"

"Very much so," he murmured, closing the distance between them.

His hands slid around her waist and he pulled her the remaining few inches so their bodies were flush together. He pressed his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes in anticipation as his lips hovered over hers. When he didn't kiss her immediately, she opened her eyes again. The look of pure adoration on his face was something she had never experienced before and it scared her. Before she could get too wrapped up in that though, she kissed him.

She wrapped her right hand around his neck and leaned upward, pressing her lips against his. His mouth opened and she wasted no time, tangling their tongues together. Fitz moaned throatily when she tugged at his hair and deepened the kiss.

After a moment, he began to pull away and Liv groaned in disapproval. She opened her eyes and Fitz was looking at her, a smug grin on his face.

"C'mon, we gotta eat if I want that second date." Fitz rubbed his hands together and carried the food out to his dining room table. Liv hovered in the doorway, taking in the room.

"The flowers are a nice touch." She teased and poked him in the side. She watched a blush bloom across his face and she loved that she could easily have that kind of effect on him. He scratched the back of his neck and looked at her shyly.

"Actually they're for you," he explained and she felt herself falling even harder for this man. This sweet, stupid man, who was putting a lot on the line just because he wanted to go out with her.

"Thanks, Fitz."

"I'm glad you're finally calling me Fitz." Olivia rolled her eyes and sat down at the table, while Fitz took the seat next to her and they started to eat.

"Well, it's kind of weird to keep calling you Professor Grant after you've had your tongue down my throat." Fitz coughed in surprise at her words and Liv tried to hide her smile.

"You seriously amaze me." That statement made her blush bright red as she focused her attention back on her food. They ate in companionable silence for a few moments, before he asked a question that had all of her walls closing back up. "So, why did you quit the debate team?"

"What?" She stuttered out. He looked apologetic at having put her on the spot, which she appreciated, but she still didn't answer his question.

"I, uh, I'm one of the faculty advisors this semester and everyone talks about you. The 'formidable Olivia Pope', how just your name made opponents shake in their boots. They assumed they'd be undefeated with you, but then you didn't come back. I was just wondering why."

Liv picked at her food for a moment, trying to decide how to answer his question.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me. I'm prying. I don't want you to be uncomfortable." He rushed out, reaching for her hand, which was still fidgeting with her fork. She shot him a grateful smile and went back to eating.

After a few moments of tension filled silence, Olivia decided to answer him. For some reason, she wanted to tell Fitz everything. She felt like she could open up to him, but she was so inexperienced at it. After all, the only people who knew her reasons for quitting debate were the people who had lived through it with her, people who knew her father and knew her reasons without her having to tell them.

"My father, he, um, he's the debate advisor, among other things at Harvard. He spent my entire childhood, before I went to boarding school, training me for debates. Even once he sent me away, I still received monthly emails with tips and questions. I was on the team at my school. The only time I saw my father was during the matches. We wouldn't speak, but I would get an email later that night of all of the things I did wrong, ways to improve." She rushed out without looking up at Fitz.

She could hear movement coming from him, but she still focused on her plate. When she heard his chair scrape across the floor, she did glance at him. His chair had moved to her side of the table and he sat with his body facing hers.

"Hey, you don't have to talk about this if you don't want to." He said softly, his hand resting on her knee.

"I want to tell you." I need to tell you, she thought. She sighed heavily. "I just don't talk about this a lot, but I do want to tell you." He nodded, encouraging her to go on.

"Anyway, he was less than pleased when I chose Georgetown over Harvard, but said he could live with it and would pay for it, under the condition that I did debate, which was fine. I liked debate, I could've done without my father's input, but I genuinely enjoyed debating." She looked over at Fitz, who was still listening intently to her.

"You don't anymore?" Fitz gently prodded, stroking his thumb over her thigh. She glanced up at him for a second before looking away again. She needed to tell him this, she wanted to. If Fitz was going to risk his career for her, he needed to know what he was getting into.

"Last year, I started dating someone on the team." She took a deep breath as she felt tears sting behind her eyes. "It wasn't anything serious, I only said yes to get Edison off my back but-" Liv shook her head, picking a point in the corner to stare at.

"Liv, if you're not ready…" At this point, she shifted her body to face him.

"You're putting more on the line than you know," she explained and his eyebrows creased in confusion. "By dating me, it's not just about you being my professor."

"Okay, well, whatever it is-" Olivia held up her hand to stop him.

"Let me tell you this before you decide." Fitz nodded and she breathed a sigh of relief as she forced herself to continue. "When my father found out about Edison, he was not pleased. I don't know why. I guess he wasn't from a respectable enough family. I was going to break up with him before that but-" she paused searching for the words.

"You wanted to piss your father off." He said knowingly. She appreciated that they had similar familial histories, that maybe Fitz was the one person in this world who wouldn't turn and run in the other direction when he heard this story.

"I did." She confirmed. "I didn't expect anything to come from it. I figured I'd date him a couple more months and Edison wasn't terrible and then-" Liv stuttered at this part. "After several months, I found out he was flirting with other girls, occasionally going on dates. I didn't care, but I figured it was time to end things. Two days after I found out, Edison was in a car accident. He didn't- he was injured pretty badly but he was fine."

"Okay."

"My father did it. He caused the accident."

"Liv…" Fitz turned her face to look at her, as he searchingly looked over her face.

"It sounds crazy, I know, but I found- there was proof, Fitz. He wanted me to know it was him."

"Okay," he replied, nodding his head. Olivia's eyes snapped up to his. He was too calm.

"My father almost killed my boyfriend because he didn't approve."

"Is that supposed to deter me?" Olivia laughed humorlessly and pushed away from the table from disbelief. She started to pace in circles.

"Yes! It is! I'm not worth all of this!" Fitz stood too, stepping in front of her to stop her frantic pacing. He rested his hands on her hips and pulled her close.

"This is our first date, I think you're getting ahead of yourself." He smirked, then his face became more serious. "And why don't you let me decide if you're worth it."

"You're not just risking your career."

"Okay." God, he was frustrating.

"Fitz!"

"Okay," he repeated quieter. He wrapped his arms around her and yanked her closer to him. One of his hands slid up her body, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. He tilted her face up to look into her eyes.

"Liv, I don't know if you heard me yesterday when I said I've never felt this way about anyone before," he spoke, looking directly into her eyes. "But I've never felt this way about anyone before, okay?" She nodded and she could feel tears sting her eyes.

"You're gonna need a bigger threat to keep me away from you." He smirked and she rolled her eyes.

"I've already threatened your career and your safety." Fitz shrugged. "You are absolutely crazy."

"Crazy about you," he murmured and lowered his lips down to hers.

Fitz kissed her tenderly for a moment, holding her face between his palms reverently. As sweet as Fitz was being with her right now, Olivia was ready for more. She slid one arm around his middle and the other up to the back of his head, pulling him closer to her. She opened her mouth under his, encouraging him to deepen the kiss. Liv broke away after a moment, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"You taste like scotch." She commented and she watched a light blush color his cheeks.

"I was nervous." He admitted softly, not making eye contact.

She bit down on the grin that threatened to take over her face and made a split second decision when she realized the couch was right behind them. She gave Fitz a shove, letting out a chuckle at his startled yelp. He opened his mouth to say something, but she silenced him as she climbed on his lap, straddling his thighs.

"That's very cute." She told him as she ran a hand through his curls. He was looking up at her, eyebrows raised. Suddenly Fitz wrapped his arms possessively around her waist, yanking her down so that her center was pressed against his burgeoning erection. She gasped in surprise and he took the opportunity to seize her mouth with his once again. She opened her mouth as their tongues tangled together and Fitz's hand slid under her shirt, stroking the soft skin of her stomach.

Olivia shifted on his lap in an effort to get more leverage and Fitz let out a groan of pain when she felt a hard, square object in his pocket. She pulled away as he reached in his pocket, pulled out the offending object, and then tossed it on the end table next to him, before attempting to pull her back, but Liv resisted.

"What is that?" She asked and she hoped her voice sounded calmer than she felt. She knew it was a ring box, but what was it doing in his pocket? Had he seen Mellie before he left? Was there (hopefully) another explanation that had nothing to do with his ex?

"Nothing," the evasiveness of his answer put Liv on edge.

"Was that Mellie's ring?" She spat out quickly and Fitz looked up at her, bewildered.

"What? No! No, no. It was my mom's." He explained and she almost felt bad for putting him on the spot like that. "Why would you think it was Mellie's?" She shrugged.

"I don't know, it was in your pocket. I just figured maybe you saw her before you left or something." They stared at each other for a moment and Fitz nodded decisively once to himself before speaking.

"No, I haven't seen Mellie since I left the lawyer's office yesterday and I don't plan on seeing her again." He paused for a minute, his eyes on the ring box. "The ring was in my pocket because I wasn't sure I was going to take it."

"Why not?"

"My mom told me to save it for someone special. I started to think that was never going to happen for me." The sadness in his voice made her heart ache and one of her hands found Fitz's, squeezing it.

"But you decided to bring it."

"You called and told me you wanted to go out on a date." Olivia didn't respond other than kissing Fitz heatedly once again. She had been the reason he brought the ring. He thought of her. She tried to tamp down the emotion welling up inside of her.

Things escalated quickly from there. Olivia could feel Fitz's hands all over her as she pushed his sweater up and over his head, leaving him in only his white undershirt. He trailed open-mouthed kisses down her neck as her nails scratched at his abs under his t-shirt. He moaned and rested his head in the crook of her neck for a second, his uneven breaths caressing her skin.

"Hold on tight," he murmured into her skin as he stood suddenly with her in his arms. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and Fitz started blindly walking toward the hallway as he continued to kiss her.

He stopped at one point to slam her against the wall and push her dress roughly over her head, leaving her in her black leggings and bra. Fitz pulled away slightly, his breathing heavy as he looked her up and down. She smiled at the glazed over look in his eyes as they roamed her body. While he was distracted, she tightened her legs around his waist and bucked her hips up into his erection, making Fitz moan.

"You're going to kill me." He muttered into her collarbone.

"Maybe," she agreed fingering the button of his jeans. "But only after I have my way with you." Their heated gazes met and suddenly his mouth was on hers, erasing any coherent thought she had. She knew they were moving again but she could care less where they were going.

She unbuttoned Fitz's pants and pushed them down off of his hips with her feet. He barely paused to kick them off as they entered his bedroom. He set her down on top of his dresser and spread her legs, stepping between them. His hands caressed her thighs and she let her head drop back against the mirror, unable to look at him anymore.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked quietly as his hands played with the waistband of her pants. The feeling of his fingers against her bare stomach prevented her from responding. She let out a little moan instead, hoping Fitz would just get on with it. When his hand stopped moving, she let out a disappointed gasp.

"I need an answer here, Livvie." He whispered in her ear as his fingers went back to stroking her inner thighs. She didn't know if it was the nickname or the feel of his fingers so close, yet so far, from where she wanted them.

"I'm sure," she gasped out in little more than a breathless whisper. Fitz pulled back to look at her, a smug grin on his face. He kissed her once: hard, fast, and all tongue, before he lowered himself to his knees in front of her. He pulled her leggings and underwear off together, but slowly, stopping to trail kisses down her legs every few inches. She quickly shucked her bra off and threw it in the same direction that Fitz had thrown her pants.

She gasped at the feel of the cool wood against her hot skin as Fitz slid her to the edge of the dresser, his hands gripping her legs behind the knees. Fitz's breath caressed her most sensitive area and she felt herself clench involuntarily in anticipation. She couldn't remember ever wanting anyone as much as she wanted Fitz in that moment.

"Please," she whimpered. When her eyes met his, the dark look in his took her breath away.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured while he looked up at her. Suddenly she was frantic to have him inside of her and she leaned forward, pulling him up against her, pressing her naked body against him.

"Too many clothes," she said into his mouth as they broke apart so she could push his undershirt over his head, only his boxers still on. He swooped her up and tossed her onto the bed behind him. He wasted almost no time, covering her body with his own. She pushed his boxers off and suddenly flipped them.

He laughed in surprise and she straddled his waist, she could feel his hot length pressing against her back. She smirked and leaned in to kiss his jawline while Fitz caressed her breasts, twisting her right nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

"Mmm, Fitz," she moaned quietly. He sat up slightly and took the nipple into his mouth, continuing to tweak at the other one. Olivia grinded against his abs, her head thrown back in ecstasy. When she was on the verge of exploding, she yanked his head away from her chest, shifting slightly on his lap so her heat was pressed against his crotch.

"Condom," was the only word she was able to get out. Fitz nodded in understanding and reached over to the drawer next to his bed. She was so lost in the haze of her arousal, she barely noticed Fitz rolling the condom on. But the minute he tossed the wrapper away, she rose up on her knees and slowly slid down on him.

They both let out identical moans as Liv settled down with him inside of her. She clenched around him once, before rising up on her knees and sinking back down again. She laced her hands with Fitz as she found a rhythm that suited both of them.

"Olivia," he gasped out as his thumb found her clit and the other hand maintained a bruising grip on her hip.

"I'm so close," she admitted. Fitz grunted as he flipped them around, placing her firmly on her back. For a minute, he pinned both her hands against the mattress as he drove into her. She threw her head back, eyes closed, and couldn't hold back a scream when Fitz let go of one of her wrists and pressed his thumb firmly against her clit. Her entire body tensed as she felt her orgasm course through her. Just as she was coming down Fitz let out a guttural moan and then sagged against her and she knew he had orgasmed too.

She ran a hand gently through his sweaty hair as he rolled off of her.

"That was…" He began in a low voice.

"Something we have to do again?" She returned breathlessly.

"I was going to say 'amazing', but that too."

Fitz woke up the next morning to Olivia sleeping soundly next to him. A sense of calm settled over him as he watched her chest rise and fall evenly. Part of him was honestly surprised she was still there, in his bed. He'd been half expecting her to wake up in the middle of the night and freak out.

After all, she was the rational one. Besides she handed him a pretty hefty confession last night, hell, he thought she was going to run out of his place yesterday after her story about her father. Fitz would be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit worried about Liv's elusive father, but one glance at her told him it was all worth it. And anyway, he was a Grant. He had connections too and he planned on using all the ones in his power to find the truth behind Olivia's dad.

He smiled at her when she started to stir, hoping if he appeared calm, she would do her best not to freak out.

"Livvie," he whispered, pushing the hair out of her face. He started placing feather-light kisses down her chin.

"Mmm, Fitz." She muttered, still half-asleep. Then, her eyes snapped open and she sat up. "Shit, I spent the night."

"It's fine." He said soothingly, beginning to rub small, slow circles on her bare stomach.

"What am I going to tell Cyrus?" She stressed.

"You spent the night at Abby's. Really, not a big deal."

They laid there in silence for a few moments, Fitz was watching Olivia for any sign of what she was thinking. It freaked him out that she hadn't really said anything- well, she had, but not about them, about what would happen next.

"I start my shift at the coffee shop in," she sighed and glanced at his bedside clock. "An hour."

"Is that your way of telling me you have to go?" He asked, disappointed. Liv rolled over on her side and propped her head up on her hand.

"I do have to go for a good reason, so stop being pouty about it."

"I'm not being pouty!" He defended.

"If I promise to come over later, will you stop pouting?" She rolled over all the way and rested her chin on his chest.

"You're going to come over later?" He asked in surprise. He kept waiting for her to backtrack on everything that had happened last night; he kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Yeah," she squinted at him. "Unless you don't want me to?"

"No, no, no, of course I want you to come over." He assured her, smoothing a hand down her back.

"Okay, good, then I'll be here."

"Right after work?" He quirked an eyebrow while Liv laughed and shook her head.

"I know your whole world revolves around me," she joked, flashing him a dazzling smile. "But I have other responsibilities, mister." He laced a hand through her hair and pulled her into a heated kiss. When they separated, Liv's eyes were glazed over, her breathing heavy, and Fitz looked at her with a satisfied smirk.

"Okay so, an hour after work?" She laughed and got out of his bed, a sheet wrapped around her.

"You are shameless."

"You didn't answer my question." He replied, getting out of bed and walking towards her. Fitz tried not to sound paranoid as he wrapped her in his arms.

"I'll get here when I get here."

"I've never seen a girl get upset about her boyfriend wanting to spend too much time with her." He commented and instantly scolded himself when Olivia tensed beneath him.

"Are you my boyfriend?"

He figured he had two options here; he could deflect or he could be honest with her. While his gut instinct was to be honest, this was a different situation than he was used to. It was higher stakes, not only professionally, but he'd never felt this way about anyone before. It may have been soon to be thinking of a serious future with her, but he felt such a strong connection after such a short time. Only a few months into their friendship and he could barely imagine living life without her. Now that they had actually crossed the line? Well, he'd be damned if her let her get away due to him not being honest enough.

"I'd like to be, if you want me to." She bit her bottom lip and stared at some point over his shoulder, before swinging her eyes back to meet his.

"I do," he sighed in relief and tightened his arms around her waist. "But you're risking-" Fitz cut her off by placing a finger against her lips.

"Let me worry about that, okay?" She nodded. "Now you better get going, or you might be late for work." Olivia rolled her eyes at him, but then leaned forward to press her lips gently against his.

"I'll see you later, Professor Grant." She said in a low, seductive voice as a sultry smile spread across her face. Fitz groaned.

"You can't do this to me as you're walking out the door."

"I'll be back later." She called over her shoulder.

He watched as she walked outside and made her way down the street to Cyrus's house. Once she was safely inside, he pulled out his phone and pulled up one of his most important contacts that he rarely used.

"Yeah?" The voice on the other end answered.

"Hey Huck, it's Fitz. I want you to find me everything you can about Elijah Pope."