Olivia Pope, successful architect at a successful company.

With a successful life. A beautiful home, in the perfect town. Her beautiful parents, just an hour away from her.

Nice hair. Nice body. Nice personality.

And my god, the perfect skincare routine.

But nothing. Absolutely nothing, to go home to around the Holidays.

Every other time of the year, the same old excuse worked fine.

That she didn't have time. She didn't have the energy, or didn't want a relationship at the moment.

That all the men she'd encountered thus far in life were scum. No offense, but...offense.

That she was only 31 years old and she had time. She didn't need a man to make her happy.

Which, she definitely did not.

But now, on Christmas Eve, seeing everyone with their significant others. Seeing all the handholding and the mistletoeing. It hurt a little bit.

Just a little bit.

So, she sought out a cure, for the little bit of pain.

Barney's. Aka, the best bar in her cute little town of 10,000. Open all throughout the holidays, thank god.

And she ordered her usual. A manhattan.

"I need to kick you out."

She looked up at the world's best bartender and bar owner with a smile.

"You can't do that, I haven't even tried my drink yet."

He shook his head. "Well first of all, do that. It's the best manhattan I've ever made. Go on. Try it."

Olivia smirked and sipped on it.

And she nodded in approval. "World's best, like I always say," she said.

He smiled. "You're too kind."

"So why do you have to kick me out?" she asked, taking another sip.

"Because it's 8:00 on Christmas Eve. And a woman like you doesn't belong at a bar at 8:00 on Christmas Eve."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "And where does a woman like me belong at 8:00 on Christmas Eve?" she challenged.

"At home. With her family."

She nodded. "Well. That would normally be the case if they weren't going on a Caribbean cruise this year for Christmas."

"I'm still appalled they didn't invite you," he said distastefully.

"I'm not. Warm weather? Over Christmas? No thanks, Barney. I'll take the chilly air and the snow. It's what feels right. Even if...I'm alone."

Barney sighed. "Alright, now you've done it."

"I've done what?" Olivia asked.

"Your drink's just going to have to be on the house because you're so pitiful."

Olivia laughed out loud, rolling her eyes at him while he smiled.

"Does that deal apply to any other potentially pitiful person tonight or just this beautiful woman?"

Olivia turned to see a man getting into the bar stool a few seats from her.

He was tall, and dressed very nice. Clearly, she wasn't the only one that had had to go into the office today.

Just the sight of him caught her a little off guard. There were only a few other people at the bar, but all of them were far from her.

And here comes this handsome stranger, sitting just a few feet from her.

He had dark, curly hair and bright, blue eyes; she could already see them.

He gave her a nice smile, before looking back at Barney as he received his answer.

"Sorry, buddy. I'm afraid it's a once-a-night type of deal," Barney chuckled.

"It's alright. Grey Goose martini on the rocks," the man said. "A little dirty."

"You got it," Barney nodded.

Olivia watched him take off his dress coat, revealing a dress shirt and tie, and dress pants.

"I like the alliteration," she said, eyeing him.

He turned towards her as he sat back down, draping the coat over his chair.

"How's that?" he asked.

"Potentially. Pitiful. Person. Three P's. Alliteration."

He gave her a smile. "I didn't catch that. I like the way you think."

"I like the way you order."

He eyed her. "Is that so? Well then how about I buy you one when you're done with that," he said gesturing to her manhattan.

She smiled. "Hmm. So my first drink's on the house, and my second drink's on..." she questioned.

He smiled, extending out his hand.

"Fitz."

She shook it with a smile. "Olivia."

"It's very nice to meet you, Olivia," he said, now accepting his drink from Barney.

"Likewise. Your name. I've never heard it before," she said, taking a sip.

"It's a nickname. For something much longer and much worse."

She raised her eyebrow. "Must be a family name."

He nodded and laughed. "You'd be correct. The third, actually."

"Oh yeah?"

He nodded, sipping his drink.

She kind of liked this guy. Charming. Handsome. Easy to talk to. A little mysterious.

"So, Fitz the third. Where you from?" she asked.

"Born and raised in Minnesota. But I've been here since after college," he explained.

"And...when was that?" she inquired.

He smiled. "So you can do the math and figure out how old I am?"

Um, yes?

She scoffed. "Of course not. Just curious as to how long you've been in my wonderful hometown."

He nodded and chuckled. "I've been here since '05."

She did the math quickly in her head.

He was 35. She could work with that.

"I like that. You know your way around then," she nodded.

"I do. Just didn't know the right people, apparently."

"Why's that?" she asked.

"Because I hadn't met you yet."

Was that...blushing...she was feeling? The hell?

"Me?" she inquired with a laugh.

"Yeah, you. I like you."

"You don't know me," she said with a smirk.

"Well," he said, getting out of his chair and bringing his things to the chair next to her.

"I know those keys right there belong to that Benz parked outside. Very classy, I like it. Probably the nicest car in the parking lot," he said. "Well, except for mine."

She scoffed, laughing a little bit at him.

"I know you must be here a lot, based on your relationship with that bartender. Unless he's really that rude and calls strangers pitiful."

"He's a nice guy. I'm…here a lot," she said with a laugh.

"And I know you like me too," he finished.

"Now how on earth could you know something like that?" she asked casually, despite the fact she had been thinking that very same thing only moments ago.

He smiled warmly, leaning in towards her.

"I just know."

She rolled her eyes. "Is this something that works often for you?"

"What?" he asked.

"Claiming to know a woman, and then also claiming she likes you within five minutes."

He tilted his head. "No. I've never done this before, actually."

She gave him an odd look. "Never…what?"

"Flirted with a woman at a bar. How am I doing? I feel like it's not working very well," he said.

She just laughed. "That's a lie if I've ever heard one."

He looked at her innocently, seeming confused.

"Why do you assume I'm lying?" he asked.

"Because…for god's sake I feel like I've flirted with a woman at a bar and I'm straight," she said with a laugh. "It's a bar. People flirt at bars."

"Eh. I don't go to bars. Just tonight."

She looked at him confused. "You're 35 years old and you just…'don't go to bars'?" she questioned.

"Ah, so you were trying to figure out how old I was before," he said with a smile.

"Don't deflect," she giggled.

He smiled. "No. I don't. I go to coffee shops. I like coffee shops."

"Well here you are at a bar," she said, crossing her arms on the bartop.

"Here I am at a bar," he nodded.

"So why tonight?" she asked.

"It's my first Christmas alone in a while and I didn't want to go home to my empty house. And then I saw the sign for this place. So I turned," he confessed.

"So you thought you'd find other lonely people here, huh?" she asked with a laugh.

He definitely found one.

He shrugged. "No. I just thought…I'd find people here. Regular people. People I could talk to. And then I found you. The only thing I haven't figured out is why you're here tonight."

"I told you. I'm here a lot."

"Yeah. But why tonight? Why on Christmas Eve?" he asked.

She sighed, scratching her forehead. "Why don't you buy me that drink and we'll talk more."

He smiled at her and waved down Barney, before ordering another martini for her, the same one that he was drinking.

So they talked and drank. For a long time.

It was odd. Odd in the sense that it was easy to talk to him, and she hadn't known he even existed before tonight.

She told him about her situation. She was single, her family wasn't around, thus…the bar on Christmas Eve.

And he listened, interjecting every so often, or pausing to buy them more drinks.

They talked about him a little more too, upon her request. She wasn't disclosing information about herself without getting some back.

He was much more open towards her.

He was a lawyer. And from the looks of the clothes he had on, and the mention of his car, a hell of a successful one.

He was alone, because he didn't have any family left. His parents had died in a car crash when he was young, and his single grandmother had raised him. She, also, had passed away.

She told him how sorry she was to hear the news, which he thanked her for, and assured her that it was alright. He missed them every day, but he had been without them for some time now, and knew how to cope with it.

And he was single because last year, right around this time, he couldn't be with his fiancée, his fiancée of over a year. He couldn't be with her because he'd had to be in New York with a client.

But, being a good fiancé, he thought he'd come and surprise her the day he got off. So, he did, only he came home to another man in bed with her.

She put her hands up to her mouth in shock when he told her that, surprised he had even mentioned something like that.

He just laughed, though.

"Why on earth are you laughing?!" she exclaimed.

He shrugged. "It's been a year now. And…I loved her. So believe me, I was devastated for a long time. But then it started to hit me. Why? Why should I have to be devastated when she clearly didn't love me back? At least, not in the way that I did. Or she wouldn't have done what she did, you know? There are…better people out there. People that I won't ever have to be devastated about because…they'd never do that and it won't ever have to end," he said.

"I've dated a little since then. But…I haven't found that better person. That right person."

She nodded, raising her glass to him.

"I like how you think, too, Fitz the third."

He smiled, clinking his glass to hers.

"I have to say, though...I still don't understand. On your end, I mean."

She tilted her head to the side. "What don't you understand?" she asked.

"Why you're single," he clarified.

"I told you…it's just my choice. I guess I'm in a similar boat as you. But for me, it wasn't just one experience. It's been…all of them."

He nodded. "How so?"

She sighed, swirling her drink around. "There are too many to go into. Believe me, it wouldn't interest you anyway. I've just come to the conclusion that..it's not the right time for me yet. I want there to be a time. But with my luck so far…I just don't think it's right now."

"You're wrong," he stated, taking a sip of his drink.

"Excuse me?" she said with a little laugh. She was a bit taken aback.

He shrugged. "I think you're wrong. On all fronts."

"Explain," she said, leaning in.

"First of all, everything you have to say interests me. And…it's always the right time if it's the right person. You just haven't found yours yet either."

She thought about it and nodded, thinking that he had a good point.

"Or maybe you have and you just don't know it."

She looked up at him as he gave her a little smile.

"I have a feeling you're suggesting something," she said with a little laugh.

"What if I was?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I'd say…we're strangers and you don't know me well enough to know something like that."

He tiled his head. "Really? I told you about my devil fiancée and we're still strangers?" he chuckled.

"We've known each other for a couple hours. That's certainly not long enough to be friends," she reasoned.

"What if I don't want to be friends?" he asked, turning fully towards her and downing his drink.

It was hard to deny that there was a clear attraction there. Especially when just the simple sound of his deep voice was beginning to turn her on.

She was slightly drunk, she knew that. But she also knew when she liked something.

"I never said I wanted to be friends," she said, turning toward him, too.

"What do you want then?" he asked, looking at her eyes, and then down at her lips.

She smirked, setting her glass down on the bartop as she got ready for what she was about to say next. She never did things like this. Ever.

"I want you to come home with me."

His lips parted and he smiled, looking her over thoroughly as he bit his lip.

"Can you drive?" he whispered.

She downed the rest of her drink and answered honestly. "Nope. Can you?" she asked.

"I shouldn't," he replied.

She smirked. "I'll call an Uber."

Fitz nodded and waved Barney over to close the tab.

Barney gave Olivia a look while she made the request for an Uber on her phone. It was a smirk that seemed to say "have fun".

And lots of fun was had.

As soon as they got in the backseat of the uber together, both planning to come get their cars tomorrow, things started happening.

They sat right next to each other, his hand wandering high up her thigh.

And she certainly wasn't afraid to let her hand go to where it wanted to go.

It was easy in the dark vehicle, to get away with everything they were doing. The driver was listening to his radio, oblivious to everything.

Fitz leaned his head against hers, looking at her while they touched each other.

She massaged him through his dress pants, which did little to hide his arousal. She could feel everything.

His fingers pushed aside her thong, and she officially felt the skin on skin.

He explored a little bit first, with a single finger. Then with two.

He played with her clit, which had her holding tightly onto his arm and fighting back whimpers.

The harder she gripped his arm, the more he played with it. He stayed away from her entrance, wanting to make her wait for that.

It was really quite an agonizing game on her end.

She hadn't done anything with a man in ages, so her sudden outburst of courage back at the bar was beginning to freak her out.

All she knew was that she wanted him. Not just sex from a random guy. She wanted…him.

When they got out of the car, they made their way up her driveway, him following close behind her as she led the way.

He pressed his body into her as she fumbled with the keys at the front door.

She had really never done this before.

Let someone into her house that she barely knew. Let him into her life. Into her pants.

Because there was no turning back now.

She finally got the door open and pulled him inside, immediately connecting their lips in a kiss.

Their first kiss was certainly nothing sweet and romantic. It was desperate and wet.

Kind of like she was now.

He pushed her up against the front door, hands running down her front side and feeling her up.

His lips moved from hers to her neck, running his tongue over her sensitive skin as he unzipped her coat.

She had already started to breath faster, from the moment they entered her home.

And now all that could be heard in her dark entryway was heavy breathing and fumbling with clothing.

He got her coat off and moved to unzip her dress as she began to pull him up the stairs, dropping his coat on the bottom landing.

"Your house is...beautiful," he panted.

"Thanks. Let me guess, yours—is nicer?" she teased, reaching for his belt.

"I don't know. Maybe—you'll have to come by and I can...show you around," he replied.

"One step at a time, tiger," she whispered, kissing his neck as she pulled him into her bedroom by his tie.

"You sure you want to have—sex with me right now then? I think that's...skipping a lot of steps," he whispered back.

"I definitely want to have sex with you right now," she said, pushing him onto the bed.

She toed off her heels and finished unzipping the dress zipper that he'd started.

He removed his shoes and socks, and watched her intently as she stepped out of her dress.

She could tell she had his full attention by then, as she stood there in her bra and underwear in front of him.

She was trying to distract him from the fact that she was actually nervous. She hoped confidence did the trick.

He exhaled deeply and reached out to her, grabbing her hips and bringing her closer as he sat in front of her.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered.

She smiled shyly and started to loosen his tie, so she could pull it over his head.

He undid his shirt simultaneously, and shrugged it off his shoulders.

He looked up at her with a smile as they removed his clothing. The way he was looking at her caught her off guard.

But certainly not in a bad way.

He wasn't looking at her like she was just some woman he wanted to screw.

Although the bulge in his pants suggested that's what he wanted.

But him. His face. He was looking at her like he wanted her. Not just her body.

And all of her nerves drifted away, seeing him look at her that way.

She barely knew this man. But for some reason, she felt...the same way.

She'd wanted sex, yes. But there was also a part of her that knew if he hadn't walked into the bar that night, if it had been any other random guy, she wouldn't have taken him home.

This guy, Fitz. He was different, but she just wasn't sure why.

Her fingers moved faster, unzipping his pants so he could stand up and take them off.

And then he was picking her up, laying her down gently while he returned to her lips.

She could feel his erection pressed against her wet panties, and she knew he could feel her moisture, her arousal.

And, man, he was a good kisser.

She took deep breaths in between their long, slow makeout sessions.

He kneeled above her and pulled his undershirt above his head, throwing it to the floor. She ran her fingers down his muscular chest and abdomen.

Jesus he was gorgeous.

She reached around her body and unclasped her bra, tossing it to the side with his shirt. And his eyes lingered.

He dipped his head and took her nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it and biting gently, before giving the other one some attention, too.

His hands started to move lower on her bare skin, stopping on the soft fabric of her underwear. With two fingers, he began to massage her through the fabric, in slow, wonderful circles.

Her legs instantly opened wider, making it easier for him.

All of the things he was doing to her felt amazing, but she didn't want long, agonizing foreplay. She wanted him naked, and she wanted him inside of her now.

So she tugged at his boxers from the back, getting them as far down as she could in the position they were in.

"Do you have anything?" he whispered.

She nodded, gesturing to her nightstand. "Top drawer," she whispered back.

First, she removed her own soaked pair of panties. And then, now that he was kneeling and reaching for the drawer, she took the opportunity to slide his boxers down from the front.

His hardened length bobbed free as she pulled them down, and she let out a breath at the sight of him completely naked on top of her. He was…breathtaking.

He took his boxers all the way off and tossed them aside, while he opened a condom and rolled it on.

She maintained eye contact with him while he entered her slowly, both of them letting out loud moans of pleasure.

He settled into a nice rhythm, while his lips found hers again.

His skin rubbing against hers and his thick, long member filling her again and again had her shaking beneath him.

She scratched at his bare back, knowing full well that there was going to be evidence of it on his skin.

She let out a quiet whimper against his shoulder as he continued to pump in and out, her hands slipping against his slightly damp skin.

Her legs tightened around his waist and she clenched around him, not sure how much longer she could hold off.

As soon as she clenched around him, he let out a quiet groan and his head fell against her shoulder. "Oh—my god."

"Don't stop," she pleaded.

"Are you going…to come?" he panted.

"Yes. Yes—so close," she replied, digging her nails into his back.

He tucked his head into the crook of her neck and thrust into her repeatedly, feeling himself on the edge as well.

He was hitting it right where she wanted him to, in the most perfect way imaginable.

She was overcome suddenly by her orgasm, moaning and shaking and saying his name out loud.

Him coming along with her was the sexiest thing she'd ever witnessed.

Besides the fact that she could feel the warmth inside of her, she heard his sounds of pleasure, and felt his body convulsing on top of her.

Until he stilled, still breathing heavily into the crook of her neck.

He didn't pull out. Not yet.

He stayed there, while they both calmed. She ran her fingers through his curly hair. Which, almost felt just as intimate as everything they'd already done.

She didn't know him.

But she felt like she did. She just couldn't explain it.

He dragged his lips along her neck, and brushed them against her ear. "Merry Christmas, stranger."

"Merry Christmas, stranger," she whispered with a smile, teasing him back.

He pulled back to look at her, touching his nose to hers.

"Olivia."

"Yes."

"Have you ever done this before?" he asked.

"Jeez, was I that bad?" she asked.

He chuckled, leaning his forehead against hers. "No, that's not—you were amazing. Are amazing. I meant...well...I don't exactly know what to call this," he stumbled. "I don't do this."

"I don't do this either. To...answer your question," she said.

He sighed. "So why did you tonight?" he asked curiously.

She sighed, running her fingers through his hair. "You want the full honest truth?" she asked.

"Full honest truth," he nodded.

"Because I like you."

He smiled sweetly at her, pecking her lips.

"You like me."

"Are you going to make me say it again?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes."

"I like you."

He chuckled, placing kisses on her neck. He clearly enjoyed hearing that.

"I like you too," he said.

"I know. You told me within five minutes," she giggled.

"And I knew within one minute."

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smiled back at her and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

"Is it alright if I go in your bathroom?" he asked. She nodded in response.

"Okay. I'll be right back," he whispered, kissing her once more before he got out of bed.

He returned fairly quickly after disposing of his condom.

She admired his naked body as he got back in her bed.

He pulled her into his body, and she let him.

She wasn't really a big cuddler but for some reason, she didn't want to move away from him.

"I want to spend Christmas with you," he whispered. "If you'll let me."

"Oh yeah and why's that?" she asked, smiling at him.

"You want the full honest truth?" he asked, mimicking what she'd said earlier.

"Full honest truth," she nodded.

"I want..." he began, leaning in to kiss her neck. "To get to know you. Everything about you."

She let out a quiet breath, lifting up her head more for him.

"I want everything."

She kept her hands on his face, rubbing her thumbs against his skin as he kissed her.

"I want your heart. I want you."

She exhaled, clinging to him tightly.

This Christmas Eve had turned out way different than she had expected. And she had absolutely no idea how Christmas Day would turn out.

She had absolutely no idea how anything would turn out, after her somewhat bold decision tonight. After this man had walked right into her life without warning.

All she did know, was what she wanted, too. So she gave him his answer.

"I'm all yours."

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