Author's Note: It's the first new fic of the year, Charlie Brown! It's 2016 and once again, I made through an entire year without getting hospitalized, charged with a serious felony or misdemeanor, or pregnant. That makes 2015 an overall win for me. As for the show, we've got a little less than a month of Winter Hiatus to go and…well, at least we still have fanfic. That's all I can say. It's sad but it's better than nothing and the Summer Finale will probably be dope as fuck just to keep the show on for another season of overall nonsense. Maybe not but again, we still have fanfic to keep Liv, Fitz, and Olitz alive and happy together. More D.D. work and WIP chapters are on the way. Have a good one!

(CMW2/Trumpetnista: Draftbook Drabble #36-(Fitz, Olivia, Mellie, Edison, local and drifter, one sided Mellitz Zombie and Edison/Olivia, Olitz, NSFW)

Words from the Gladiator in a Hoodie:I know that this is another fanfic and overall storytelling staple to the point of being very cliché but this idea wouldn't leave me be. Olivia ended her long term and unhealthy relationship with Edison. Afterwards, she goes from state to state on a road trip trying to rediscover herself. In doing so, she ends up renting a room in a house owned by a local man named Fitz and...yeah. I hope you guys dig it.

More for the WIPs and old D.D.-verses are on the agenda next. Enjoy the latest! Mad Love, Jam, and Power Drills, ~*Trump*~

Disclaimer: "Honestly, it's not mine!"

"I was the Devil with the blue dress on giving lap dances and downing shots between hits of the bong at parties. By the time second semester of undergrad ended, I was on academic probation. My dad disowned me. It was pretty common for me to wake up on a bedroom floor someplace across town with no panties and barely any memory of the night before. That's actually how my ex and I met. I was doing the Speed Walk of Shame and I literally ran into him when he was coming back from his morning jog. He was nice to me. He was really cute. He didn't immediately judge me so I figured why not? I sobered up. I started going to all of my classes and made up the ones I failed during summertime. I graduated with a degree in Mythological Studies. I took court reporting courses and became a transcriber. I started going to church. I even joined his mother's creative writing and sewing club but…somewhere along the way, I stopped being his romantic partner and became his pet project. He was Rear Admiral Save a Ho and I was the fruit of his labors, his great masterpiece. There was no love between us, anymore. I don't think there ever was. I think we confused sex and obligation with love."

"So, you ended it?"

"I left him a note. Who does that in real life? Who actually leaves a 'Dear John, it's not me, it's you' note before taking off running into the night? God, that was such a shitty thing to do. We were together for over 7 years and I wrote a fucking note instead of facing him like a big girl."

"Why?"

"I saw the wedding set in his sock drawer and it was the last straw. It forced me to be honest about our situation. I knew that I couldn't marry him. No matter how much time passed, Edison would never see me as more than the half naked fuck up that he met in the park that morning. I'd be his tamed broodmare that he could show off to his coworkers during cocktails and cousins at family reunions. We'd end up living unhappily ever after or in a life ruining divorce and custody battle that would take a decade to settle. I didn't want to go through that. We both deserved better than to go through that so I did the shitty but right thing and split. I packed all of my things, emptied my bank accounts, changed my number, and just started driving. I've been on and off the road for the last 18 months. I've seen 35 out of the 50 states. Eventually, I'll get to all of them and then go overseas. Maybe I'll settle in Scotland or the South of France."

"Where are you from originally?"

"Washington, D.C."

"You're a long way from there."

"I know. That was the point of leaving. I can't go back there. Not now…maybe not ever again. Edison's on the fast track to becoming POTUS and if I go back, he'll use his connections to make my life hell. He's petty like that and like I said, I did a very shitty thing to him. I don't know if I broke his heart. He's probably telling everyone that will listen to him that I did. I do know that I hurt him and bruised his ego. After all, Princess Peach isn't supposed to run away from Mario after he saves her. That's not how all the fairy tales go."

"Life is not a romance novel or a fairy tale. That's not to say that there isn't room for love and soulmates because there is but we still have to be realistic. Leaving your ex a note after 7 years together was shitty but leaving him was what was best for you. Everyone has the right to make their own path to happiness. You were brave."

"No, I was a coward."

"You can be both."

"We'll have to agree to disagree."

It had been 3 months since she had driven into the small Louisiana town and 6 weeks since she had come to fill the ad taken out in the local paper: 1 attic room with attached full bath, 450 a month including utilities. It was better than the boarding house downtown and quiet, which is what she desperately wanted.

28 year old Olivia Pope's life in Washington, D.C. had been full of noise. Media noise, work noise, acquaintance noise, noise from the few college friends she stayed in contact with, noise from her father whom she had reconciled with after graduating, traffic noise, noise from Edison's smothering "love", noise from the people around them, his family in particular about marriage and grandbabies, nieces, nephews and how she 'really wasn't getting any younger'. Her biological clock was ticking down to the wire, after all. The longer they waited, the harder it would be to naturally conceive and the less time they would have with the precious child and that really would be a crying shame…

The other reason why Olivia had refused to marry him was that she knew that he would be proposing to make everyone else happy, not because he loved her and certainly not because their relationship was stable enough for a stroll down the aisle. From the outside looking in, they were the perfect couple, poised to become the next Barack and Michelle Obama, loving and warm. The truth was the opposite. Edison wasn't physically abusive. In fact, he hardly raised his voice to her. He had a good job, an excellent job as the Senator for Florida, and he didn't say that she couldn't keep working. No, he implied. He was so good at implying things.

He had a way of implying things to make her feel guilty, to make her feel inadequate, to make her feel that she was bringing less commitment and love to the table than he was. Edison made her feel small. He treated her like a wayward child or a pet that he had rescued from the pound. Their dubious origins contributed to that viewpoint and Olivia conceded that she had given him ample reason to worry about her in the past. She had been a hot steaming self destructive mess. She would own that fully but she had changed! She had gotten better and she was…well, she wasn't perfect. No one was perfect but she was really so much better, now. Olivia wasn't a total disaster, anymore.

Edison couldn't and wouldn't see that she had grown up. He couldn't and wouldn't accept that she could be fully responsible for herself, that she could take care of herself, and most of all, he couldn't accept that she deserved, that she had the god given right to have her own identity. With him, it was an either/or thing. Either she could have her identity or she could have his unconditional love, not both, never both. Both options were just out of the question because she was too irresponsible and fragile…

"He didn't love me unconditionally and I was tired of pretending. That's why I left."

"I understand."

"Do you really?"

"Yes."

Her landlord/friend was a brilliant man of few words. The townsfolk loved to talk about him, though. Fitzgerald 'Fitz' Grant III was 38 years old and the only child of the (in)famous former California Senator Fitzgerald 'Big Jerry' Grant Jr. He had graduated Summa Cum Laude from USC with degrees in constitutional law and philosophy. He had served 2 tours with distinction in the Air Force and had moved to town after he was honorably discharged for medical reasons. He had bought and renovated the old farm house before setting up a thriving business selling his woodworking projects. From formal dining room tables to custom jigsaw puzzles for the elementary school, he made them all with his own hands, his own talent. He had never been married, had no children, and was just so movie star handsome, so sweet, so humble…the polar opposite of the Grant men that came before him. Whoever ended up with him would be well taken care of.

Some said that he was in the Closet. Others said that he was asexual. Still others speculated that someone long ago had broken his heart and he was just waiting for the right person to come along and coax it back to life, to bring him in from the cold.

When she went into town for toiletries or to read at the library, there was always lingering glances on her. She was a stranger amongst them. She was different from the way she walked to the way she was determined to keep to herself. Where had she come from? What was her story? Why was she still in their town and most of all, what was she doing living at the Grant house? Was she just a regular long term tenant? Was she his live in lover? Most people assumed the latter. It wouldn't be a bad match if she was. Both of them were quiet and damaged plus their babies would be awfully cute…

The sound of a car stopping halfway up the long gravel driveway made Olivia look up from filing her nails and out the kitchen window. Melody 'Mellie' Vaughn was fluffing her hair and Olivia shook her head with amused disgust as she stepped out of the cherry red mustang. If the neckline of the 34 year old woman's black sundress got any lower, they'd be able to see her nipples and it was comical to watch her walk over the uneven ground towards the porch in a pair of magenta cowgirl boots.

They were more ornamental fuck me boots than functional cowgirl boots.

According to local lore, Mellie had been after Fitz like white on rice since he first came to town 10 years before. Fitz was thoroughly uninterested in her. Olivia couldn't blame him. She had only interacted with Mellie a handful of times at the library (she was the librarian's youngest grandchild) and the woman was shrill voiced, spoiled rotten, and completely obnoxious. She was intelligent and quite physically appealing but her attitude…god, her attitude!

Her attitude was as abrasive as sandpaper and more stank than moldy running shoes.

Mellie reminded her of every prissy Queen Bee that Olivia had wanted to beat the shit out of in boarding school and a couple that she had.

"Oh, God…what is she doing here? What does she want from me?"

"She wants the D." Olivia deadpanned.

"Don't remind me. Her father's birthday is next month and he loves my work. She's probably here to fill an order for him, despite there being a perfectly good and easy to navigate website."

"Good artists always suffer for their art."

"You're not helping!" he scolded laughingly as he dried his hands on a nearby dish towel.

"Do you actually want my help in dealing with her?"

"You wouldn't happen to have some salt and working knowledge of exorcisms, would you?"

"Sadly, no but I do have a sage smudge stick you're welcome to borrow after she leaves. Look, the rumor mill already has us going wall to wall. What if I just encourage that idea while she's here? If she sees you and me together, she'll spread the word like the Plague and will have to back off until after I leave. Side chick/dude mentality aside, nobody actually wants to play second fiddle in real life, especially in a small town. It's way too messy."

"I can't ask you to do that, Olivia."

"I'm volunteering. Let her in. I'll be back in a few and when I return, follow my lead."

/

"…and Big Daddy really loved those ravens you carved for the high school's tribute to Edgar Allen Poe so maybe you could…"

Mellie's sickly sweet words cut off abruptly and the shocked look on her face made him turn around. Fitz's brows nearly disappeared into his hairline and he swallowed thickly as molten heat erupted in his groin.

Olivia had traded her dark gray lounge pants and cream tank top for one of his dress shirts, the purple one. She had rolled the sleeves up and was using it as a sleep shirt. The middle buttons were done up but it was apparent that her trim torso was bare underneath. When she opened the pale blue refrigerator, she bent forward and her behind came fully into view, the lilac color of her cheeky boyshort panties matching her ankle socks. Her onyx hair was unbraided and wild, looking as if she had just rolled out of bed. Her lips were bee stung and cherry red and she put a very convincing telltale limp in her slow stride. For all intents and purposes, Olivia looked as if she had been thoroughly ravished.

The images filling his mind at the idea threatened to drive him mad.

His cock was now hard enough to drive nails.

"Babe, did you drink the last of my chocolate milk?"

"Uh, yeah. I did. Sorry about that."

"It's okay. I mean, I used your deodorant earlier so…oh. Hi, Mellie. Are you gonna stay for dinner? Fitz made chicken chili with cornbread and it tastes even better on the second day…"

Mellie's face twisted before she replied stiffly, "No thank you, Olivia. I'm watching my figure."

"Why? It's not like you need to and life's too short. Eating healthy and keeping fit is important but sometimes, you just need to eat a big ass slice of cake and tell the world to fuck off."

She cut herself an impressive slab of the lemon vanilla cake she had baked earlier and plated it, adding a generous slathering of Cool Whip on top. Olivia hopped up onto the kitchen island and began eating, staking an obvious claim on his home and himself. In order to emphasize that claim (and hopefully expedite Mellie's departure…), Fitz rose up from the kitchen table and got deep into Olivia's personal bubble. He stood between her legs and rested his hands on either side of her strong bare thighs. Undaunted, Olivia smiled at him and offered him a generous forkful of cake, purposely smearing some of the Cool Whip over the tip of his nose. He wiped it away with a fingertip, a fingertip that Olivia promptly took into her mouth.

He would never be able to look at Cool Whip the same way again.

The chair scraped on the linoleum and Fitz closed his eyes as Mellie came up next to them. Olivia's left hand rested on the nape of his neck and he rested his brow on hers, his hands now spanning her middle. Apparently, Olivia was ambidextrous because her right hand was steady as she continued to share a fork with him.

"Fitzgerald, we were discussing something important. Can't this wait?"

"I can multitask. When do you want the piece done?"

"By the 20th would be ideal but no later than the 1st of the month."

"Okay. If you have any questions, my email is on the website's homepage."

"Right…okay, then. I'll just leave you two to your…snack."

"It was nice to see you again, Mellie."

"Likewise, Olivia. Goodbye."

The door slammed behind her and he opened his eyes as the sound of Mellie's car leaving at top speed filled the house. Olivia peered up at him guilelessly and looking down, he confirmed that she was braless. His borrowed shirt had slipped off of her shoulder and Fitz adjusted it slowly, feeling goosebumps erupt at the touch of his fingertips.

"Thank you."

"No problem. You said that everyone has the right to make their own path to happiness. Keeping you safe from the clutches of the Wicked Witch of the South is critical to your happiness and mine. As soon as she got in your pants, she'd put all my shit on the curb and I rather like it here."

"I rather like having you here, Olivia."

Her answering smile was tender and he stepped back to let her climb down from her perch.

Once she was gone, Fitz let out a deep sigh and braced his hands on the counter, shaking his head. He needed to get it together. The last thing Olivia needed was him pursuing her, even just for sex. She was still recovering from her last relationship and although they had only known each other for a brief time, Fitz already counted her as a close friend. He didn't have many friends. There were his contacts and clients in town along with a pseudo-familial bond with Cyrus Beene but other than that…and she was still planning to leave. It wouldn't do either of them any good to establish something if she would just leave later on. Of course, just because she left didn't mean that she wouldn't come back and…

He had to get it together and fast.

/

She had fucked up.

She had bitten off way more than she could chew.

Olivia was all too familiar with the feeling, the 'oh shit, what have I done?!' feeling before having no choice but to face the consequences of her latest foolhardy actions.

What had started as a surefire way to get Mellie off of Fitz's back had snowballed into a revelation that clobbered her over the head.

It really shouldn't have but it did.

She had Feelings for Fitz, Feelings that went beyond friendship and well into lust/perhaps love territory. Lust she knew how to handle but the idea of falling in love again (or rather for the first time…) gave her the nagging itch to get back on the road. Of course, if she did that, then she would definitely hurt Fitz and unlike Edison, leaving Fitz would truly hurt her. Leaving Edison had been frightening because she would be venturing into the unknown but once she did it, all she felt was relief along with guilt over how she had done it. She really should've faced him but if she had, she would've psyched herself out of doing the right thing for both of them and they would be miserably married right now…

With an aggravated sigh, Olivia turned onto her back and stared up at the slanted ceiling. After Mellie left, Fitz had gone out to his workshop and was still in there, the sounds of pounding and sawing filtering through her closed window. She had retreated to her room and tried to distract herself via Netflix and political articles but nothing worked. Her mind was pretty much in a feedback loop, demanding an answer to what she was going to do next.

She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to leave the first place that truly felt like home to her and she certainly didn't want to leave Fitz. However, if she let her Feelings show and they weren't returned or worse, if they were returned but Fitz started to behave like Edison…

Leaving would hurt. Being rejected would hurt. Being accepted conditionally would hurt but…Fitz wasn't Edison.

That rational fact had her sitting up and Olivia could feel the conflict in her mind begin to calm.

Fitz was the polar opposite of Edison and he didn't deserve to have her issues, her insecurities, and Edison's emotionally manipulative ways projected on him. Being rejected would hurt but it wouldn't be the end of the world. Fitz wouldn't be cruel about it. He would allow her dignity and space to recover. Leaving was still an option. After all, she wasn't a prisoner but she was tired of running away, of avoiding the big scary emotions so she would never have to risk being hurt again, being abandoned again. Avoiding reality had been the driving force behind her Party Girl Pope facade back in the day and that had led to nothing good. Well, almost. Her actions back then, her actions with Edison had led her here, led her to Louisiana, to the town, to the house, and to Fitz.

That definitely counted as a good thing.

3 Weeks Later…

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here because I want to be. Why are you here, Edison?"

"You just…you just left…I came home and you were gone! You left me a note and just walked away from everything like it was nothing, like I was nothing to you! Why, Olivia? What the hell made you think that leaving me was the right thing to do?! Why didn't you just talk to me?!"

"I tried! You never listened to me! You always dismissed me or shut me down! You didn't see or accept me as I am! All you saw was the stray puppy you took in! Nothing I did was good enough! Nothing I said was appropriate enough! You were always apologizing for me like I was your child instead of your partner! All you saw was the Damsel in Distress that needed to be saved and coddled! I wasn't your partner! I wasn't even an individual to you! I was an accomplishment, an Achievement Unlocked, and you can't stand there and tell me that our marriage would've lasted!"

"We would've lasted if you had just stayed put! We were good together. We were happy…"

"No, we weren't. You may have been happy but I wasn't!"

"But, you're happy with Grant? You think that he's your soul mate? Give me a break!"

"This isn't about Fitz. This is about you and me and us. You helped me take the first steps out of Rock Bottom. I'm always going to be grateful to you for that but we weren't good together. We were unbalanced and stagnant. We had bad roots going in. We're good people but we were not a good couple and you know that. Now, I do regret the way I ended things between us. I should've faced you instead of leaving a note and driving off into the night but do I regret leaving you? Absolutely not. Leaving you was the best decision that I ever made and it's a decision that I'm going to keep standing by. I'm sorry that you spent so much time and money looking for me. I'm sorry that you had to ask Mellie for directions out here because dealing with her sucks. I'm sorry that you came down here expecting me to come home with you. I'm sorry that you're hurting. I'm sorry that I hurt you but I'm not sorry for leaving. I'm not coming back to DC right now. There's nothing for me there and there's nothing for you here. Move on with your life, Edison. Be happy."

Before he could recover enough to reply, Olivia had already closed and locked the front door, retreating into the kitchen. Fitz was standing at the window, watching as her ex-boyfriend moved stiffly to his black Porsche. She came up next to him as Edison opened the driver's side door and looked at the house one more time. Was he expecting her to run out there? Was he expecting her to throw herself sobbing into his arms and let him carry her home, to let him 'rescue' her? Did he have a weapon? Was he going to get in the car and use it as a battering ram, hoping to hurt her or Fitz out of vengeance filled jealousy? Was he going to sit in the car to wait her out? Would she have to call the police? She really didn't want to have to call the police…

Edison simply got in the car and drove away.

And that was the end of it.

He was gone, they were done for good, and she was still standing tall.

Closure was a fluid concept but Olivia felt it. She and Edison were truly over, now.

It was bittersweet…

"I'm going to fucking kill her!"

"Who?"

"Mellie, dammit! What if he had hurt you? She didn't think of that, did she?"

"She probably did and was hoping that he would. After all, if I'm out of the way, that means you're ripe for the picking. Don't bother, Fitz. He won't be coming back here and she's not worth the trouble."

"You are."

"We'll have to agree to…"

"No, we won't. You're worth it, Olivia."

"Fitz…"

"I'm not making the piece for her father. I'll tell him why while I'm in town."

Fitz put on his black leather jacket and pressed the unlock button for his pickup truck. Following him to the door, she made to protest further but the steel of his face, the tenderness in his cerulean slate eyes had her mouth shutting with an audible click. Arguing with Fitz when he was like this was pointless. Actually, she didn't want to argue with him. Her overdue showdown with Edison had frayed her nerves to the point of breaking. Plus, the fact that Fitz wanted to defend her, that he saw her as worth defending made her feel very warm inside.

"You really are worth it, Olivia. I wish you could see it as easily as I do. Don't cook. I'll bring back dinner. Lock the door and call me if he comes back or if you feel scared. Okay?"

She nodded mutely and glanced down at her toes. The white polish was starting to chip in places and would need repainting. Maybe she could add some polka dots like she saw on Buzzfeed. The 'passionate pink' nail lacquer she had impulsively grabbed during her last visit to the drugstore should work nicely…

Fitz's hands went to her face and Olivia whimpered quietly as his lips crashed down on hers. Her bitten down nails dug into the shoulder material of his jacket and she held on tight, responding to him fully. He was aggressive in his approach without being overbearing. There was just the right amount of tongue and teeth. His lips were soft yet slightly chapped, just like hers and he tasted divine. He felt divine and she felt wanted, protected, cherished…

Only when air became absolutely necessary did the kiss end and she panted softly, her head spinning pleasantly. Fitz bent her head forward and pressed a tender kiss to her brow, making her feel as if she were in freefall. Gentle fingertips wiped her tears and he pressed one last kiss to her lips before walking out the door, closing it behind him. After locking the door, Olivia went upstairs to his room and curled up into a loose fetal position in his neatly made bed.

Her heart beat like a jackrabbit's and every time she closed her eyes, she could feel Fitz's hands on her face, his lips moving with hers.

She was in love with him. She knew that in her Gut and in her bones.

She was in love with Fitz Grant III and there was fondness for her inside of him, too.

She was terrified.

She was exhilarated.

She wanted to run.

She wanted to stay.

She wanted to scream her love for him at the top of her lungs.

She wanted to keep her love a secret at all costs.

She wanted to kiss him again.

She desperately wanted to kiss him again…

/

"…Fitzgerald, you are overreacting! It's not like he's a crazy serial killer or anything like that! He's a Senator and he's got a good shot at getting into the Oval! I was just…for Christ's sake, she left him! After 7 years together, she up and left him like it was nothing! Who's to say that she won't do the same damned thing to you?! I was just trying to protect you! Olivia is…"

"…a far better person than you! More to the point, she's who I want to be with! Even if she did leave with Davis, that wouldn't have changed a thing between us, Mellie! I don't want you! I have never wanted you! I will happily spend the rest of my life alone before I even think of being with you! You keep Olivia's name out of your mouth and you stay the hell away from me!"

"Fitzgerald…"

"Stay the hell away from me, Melody. Stay the hell away from Olivia or you will regret it."

Turning away from the sobbing bane of his existence, Fitz passed his credit card to a visibly uncomfortable Andrew Nichols and the diner owner quickly gave him his receipt. With a curt nod, he got their dinner order and made to exit.

Mellie's hand went to his forearm and he snatched it away immediately, shooting her a look that could've boiled her alive. She held her hands up and took a step backwards, her cheeks burning red as ESPN played loudly over the stunned silence of the crowd. Fitz understood why they were shocked. He was known for his gentle nature. He was known for staying levelheaded and never raising his voice to anyone but Mellie had finally gone too far.

Olivia could've been hurt or worse. She could still get hurt or worse. Davis' Porsche was at the Sleepy Inn and his checkout time was 1:30 the next afternoon. He had also been spotted at Miller's Liquor and Spirits. He had come down expecting to get Olivia back and she had firmly yanked those hopes out by the roots. For all intents and purposes, Edison Davis seemed to be a standup guy but Fitz knew better than anyone that politicians were trained to lie. Big lies, little lies, every sort of lie could easily come from them, even the decent ones, and he also knew that heartbreak and alcohol could get rid of all inhibitions, all rational thought. If Davis got drunk and angry enough…

He had to get back to her.

That was the only thing on his mind as he drove like a bat out of hell.

He had to get back to her.

Olivia obviously knew how to take care of herself but he wouldn't feel at ease until he was back home with her so he could see and hear for himself that she was going to be okay.

She wasn't okay, right now. Dealing with Davis had been a big bad monster in her mind and while she had faced him with strength that Fitz would always admire, she had to be an emotional wreck. Closing emotional wounds was just as painful as having them inflicted, worse even.

He kept a steel baseball bat next to his bed and a .45 in his nightstand. One or both weapons would be given to her before he'd take sentry in the kitchen. He'd sit with the 12 gauge shotgun he usually reserved for aggressive wildlife close at hand. Until Edison Davis had safely returned to his life in DC, Fitz would keep his guard up with both hands.

"Olivia?"

Her white '68 Mustang charger was still in the garage and her sea foam high top sneakers were still next to his black work boots. Listening, he didn't hear anyone moving but he was still cautious as he ascended the stairs. His bedroom door was open and he took in the sight of her sleeping in his bed. One of her pink ankle socks had come off and her black thermal shirt was riding up, exposing her diamond studded navel. She was holding onto his pillow tightly and Fitz felt his heart melt and shatter in his chest as she sobbed in her sleep. Coming close, he wiped the stray tears away and suppressed the urge to kiss the salty tracks on her cheeks.

As much as he wanted to kiss her again, they needed to talk first. Fitz wanted to see where her head was at and ask what she wanted to do about them. He wanted to make sure that she didn't feel as if she owed him anything and he certainly didn't want to take advantage of her. Taking advantage of someone when they were emotionally frayed was as bad as taking advantage of them when they were intoxicated!

He shook her gently and she shifted, yawning softly as her eyes opened.

"Fitz?"

"I'm here, Livvie."

"…I'm glad. What time is it?"

"About a quarter to seven. You fell asleep."

"I didn't mean to."

"It's okay. You needed it. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Happy. Guilty. Relieved…there's so much going on. Fitz, I know you're royally pissed off at Mellie but I really needed to face Edison. I'm not happy that my business is out in the streets but I'm glad that I don't…there's no ambiguity, anymore. I looked him dead in the eye and told him how I really felt. He knows that we're done for good. That means that he can move on without lingering on what-ifs and that he can be happy. I really want him to be happy. Just not with me, is all. He can move forward…and maybe I can, too."

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, her feet disappearing beneath the cuffs of her dark green pajama pants. She collected her sock from the foot of the bed and put his pillow back, fluffing it so it matched the second one.

"I made Mellie cry in the middle of Andy's."

"Goddamn it, Fitz…"

"If she wants to bother me, fine but she should've left you alone! I'm not sorry!"

"She was just trying to get rid of the competition. She wasn't really thinking straight."

"She wasn't thinking at all. If she comes over here again, I'm gonna saw her in half."

"I wish you wouldn't but if you do it, I'll help you come up with a good insanity defense."

"Thank you."

/

One Month Later…

Fitz had left the ball in her court.

He would talk with her and they'd banter like they usually did but there was a big pink elephant in the room. He had kissed her and she had kissed back. They had shared a damned good kiss, a kiss full of all sorts of promise but Fitz hadn't made any more romantic or sexual overtures towards her. Olivia appreciated that. Most men would've gone whole hog for it. In fact, if he had kissed her in his bedroom, even just a quick peck, she would've melted against him. However, he understood that her nerves were still frayed at the time and that she needed space to think. She needed to accept the concrete end of her time with Edison Davis and actually mourn the loss.

Yes, their relationship had turned unhealthy in the end but they had been together for 7 years. They had once been good friends and lovers. He had been a part of her and letting him go, even though it was best for them both, had been painful. That pain deserved to be felt and worked through as best as she could.

Along with that, Fitz keeping his distance left the final decision up to her. She had the option, the right to choose whether she wanted to deepen their relationship. It wouldn't just a series of happenstances and obligations that she had fallen into. It would be her choice, her fully sober and free choice.

Just because her last attempt at romance crashed and burned didn't mean that it would happen again. She and Fitz had much healthier roots than her and Edison. She was older and wiser, still shaky in places but stable overall. She had a firm grasp of who she was and who she wanted to be. And Fitz wasn't Edison. He was the absolute polar opposite of Edison.

Driving rain fell in sheets outside and she descended the attic stairs carefully, making her way to Fitz's room. It was a little bit past 10PM and the rain wouldn't be letting up until the next morning. There was a flood watch in the area and the dirt road leading to the main road looked like a rushing river. Olivia winced as thunder boomed and she ducked into Fitz's room, flashes of lightning illuminating the dark space. She had always been afraid of thunderstorms. All the noise, the chaos, and the risk of being hurt whether she was indoors or out…

"Livvie?"

Looking away from the raging tempest, she saw a drowsy Fitz frowning at her in concern.

"What's wrong?"

The next boom of thunder was loud enough to rattle the windows and she jumped in response.

"I don't like thunderstorms."

"C'mere."

"Are you sure?"

"Come to bed, Livvie…"

/

The mattress barely shifted as she climbed in and Fitz spread the blankets over her immediately. Instead of her usual pants and top, she had on a white cotton nightgown. It went down to her thighs and one of the spaghetti straps was on its way off her shoulder. Unthinkingly, he fixed it and again, goosebumps erupted on her smooth sepia skin.

Olivia rested on her back and he turned on his side, noting the quick appreciative glances she gave to his bare chest and arms as he shifted closer. That was a good sign. She wanted him physically and he couldn't get their kiss out of his mind. The smell of her, the feel of her, the addicting taste of her…she had been driving him to distraction for the last month.

However, Fitz knew that if they were going to go forward, she had to be the one to initiate it. She had to be the one to choose. The waiting was borderline torturous with an uncertain outcome but it was absolutely necessary. From what she had told him and what he surmised, her relationship with Davis had been mostly accidental with him holding the majority of the power between them. Sex and obligation had come together into an ugly mess. The last thing Fitz wanted was to make the same mistake, the same mess, a worse mess with Olivia.

He wouldn't survive it and while he was certain that she would, the pain would affect her for the rest of her life.

He didn't want to be another bastard who hurt and disappointed her.

He wanted to be good to her and good for her.

He wanted to kiss her and hold her and he…he just wanted to love her.

He already loved her…

Slowly, she turned onto her side and the rain began to fall faster she shifted closer to him. Her lips pressed against his clavicle and trailed upwards, heading for his ear. Fitz wrapped an arm around her middle and pulled her firmly against him. Their second kiss started as soft and tentative but quickly deepened into the same passion as the one in the living room. Olivia's hands roamed greedily over his back and Fitz moved so he was resting on top of her, plundering her mouth. Her hips thrust up against his in silent demand and he slid his hands underneath her nightgown, going for her panties, only to find nothing but soft flesh.

The kiss broke and Fitz looked at her questioningly. If she were even the slightest bit uncomfortable, he would let her out from underneath him in a heartbeat. It really wasn't a question of if they would make love. It was more like when. They were inevitable. He wanted her to be ready, though. If she wasn't, then he would gladly wait for her.

Olivia was worth fighting for and waiting for…

"I want you, Fitz. I want us."

/

The Next Morning…

She was dreaming of heat.

It wasn't an unpleasant heat. It was a molten, coiling thing, heat that was bubbling over into something delicious inside of her. Her body was trembling and Olivia whimpered, squirming as the heat deepened, pulsed, seared…

Her eyes flew open and she gasped loudly, her hips coiling and snapping upwards. Looking down, she found the source of the heat. Fitz had her spread legs up over his shoulders and the edges of his eyes crinkled in a smile against her dripping sex. Olivia moaned and let her head fall back onto the pillow, a smile of her own playing at her parted and panting lips.

As soon as she had given him the green light, Fitz had become a man on a mission, a tender beast in heat. He had stripped her nude and spent the rest of the stormy night exploring her with hands, lips, tongue, teeth, and once she was a begging, trembling livewire, his cock. She had given as good as she had gotten. Olivia had never been an idle or selfish lover and it had been nearly 3 years since she had sex, longer since she actually had made love. With Edison, it had become routine, adequate, and reserved. There was a whole aura of 'it ain't broke, don't fix it' blended with 'might as well' that made it a chore.

With Fitz, it was hot, messy, a bit giggly (he was very ticklish, especially his feet) and just fun. It wasn't just because of the novelty of the first time with a new lover. It was because they were Them and they were good, damned good, naked or clothed. Once they had gotten past the uncertainty, she and Fitz came together like a glove to hand. Of course, a conversation still needed to be had about just what type of Them They were going to be now but that could wait until later.

Much, much later…

"Fitz…"

"…so fucking sweet…my sweet baby…come for me…"

Her voice was pretty much gone, lost during last night's events, but she could still get her point across. Panting, Fitz gave her sex one last kiss before resting his cheek on her navel, nuzzling against her.

"Come up here…"

Fitz's lips ascended her body as he did and she maneuvered him onto his back. The lower part of his face was glazed with her nectar and his eyes were slumberous cobalt, full of contentment as he looked at her. The morning sun filled the room and gave his skin a marble like finish, accented by just the right amount of hair on his torso. Reclining on her side, Olivia began to run her fingers through his thick waves and she chuckled at the pleased expression on his face. He looked like a cat being tended to by their favorite person and she smiled at him.

"Hi."

"…hi."

"Should we get up?"

"Does getting up mean getting dressed?"

"Not unless you plan on cooking because I've had some bad experiences with grease burns…"

Fitz snorted and Olivia allowed him to put her on top of him. She rose up on her forearms and in a mirror of his actions after their first kiss, pressed his lips to her brow.

"We'll get up later. Livvie, I…"

"If I wasn't ready for us to be in a relationship, then I wouldn't have let you touch me."

"Good to know…I'm not him, Olivia. I see you and I love you just as you are."

"I know. That's why I love you, too."

"You do?"

"Of course I do."