"What?" Fitz asked, breaking the silence when he noticed his father staring at him. They were currently in Douglas Grant's office, perusing through some documents.

"Is everything alright with you?"

"Sure."

"Your mother is really bothered about you staying at an hotel instead of our home. And I told her she shouldn't make a big deal of it since you're a grown man but Fitz, you've been in town for two days already and you haven't even stopped by the house to see her. I mean what's up with that?"

"It's nothing Dad. As you know we've been kept on our toes and I just want to find a solution before the company gets dragged into an unnecessary legal battle."

"We have all hands on deck son. I sure don't expect you to dedicate all of your time to this. Besides, we're getting on top of the situation. Look, I don't know what's going on with you but please just go and see your mother because I'm running out of excuses as to why you won't come to the house."

"I will."

"Today?"

"Yes Dad, today."

"Good. She'll be very happy to see you."

After a few errands and some phonecalls later, Fitz finally showed up at his childhood home.

"Fitz!"

"Hi Mom." He gave her an apologetic smile as he leaned in for a hug.

"Boy why the hell have you been ignoring me??"

Fitz laughed when he received a smack on his arm. "Hey! Take it easy woman. Who says I've been ignoring you?"

"Since when do you stay at a hotel when you're in town? You better not be up to no good."

"I should've stopped by earlier, I'm sorry. It's just..this thing at work has been taking up a lot of my time and attention."

"That still doesn't explain why you couldn't just stay over here at the house. And how are things with Olivia? How is she?"

"Liv is fine, everything's fine. Do you have anything to eat? I'm kinda hungry."

Margaret eyed her son suspiciously but didn't say anything...yet. "There's salad?"

"Sure why not."

"So what's new? Anything exciting happening around here?" Fitz asked chowing down his food.

"Not really. Unless you want me to tell you all about the drama I hear from the ladies at the salon."

"Please don't." He replied, chuckling.

"Soo I talked to Olivia last week."

Fitz pushed the empty bowl in front of him aside, " You did?" He asked surprised.

"Yes. I just randomly called her to hear how she was doing. We had a lovely little chat."

"Anything interesting you talked about?"

"No, just a normal conversation. I really like her."

"More than you like me I bet."

"All I know is that if Olivia was in town she wouldn't have ignored me for two days straight unlike someone else."

"Wow." The two share a nice laugh.

"So, can we talk about what's bugging you Fitz?" Margaret quickly became serious. " And don't tell me it's nothing."

"I don't think it's something you can help me with anyway so. ."

"Try me."

"Mom.."

"Did you and Olivia break-up?"

"No. What did you guys really talk about? What did she say to you?"

"It's what she didn't say. You two usually lit up at the mention of the other's name but something's off."

"Well we're just going through something right now that's all."

"And you didn't work it out with her before you came here?"

"It's not that easy Mom."

"You should never choose your work over the love of your life."

"It's not even like that, okay. Plus I don't even think Liv wants to look at me right now anyway."

"And that obviously bothers you which is why you're shutting down. This is why you chose to stay at a hotel and why you're burying yourself in work."

"The company--"

Margaret was quick to interject, "I know what is going on with the company and as far as I'm concerned it's being resolved."

"Okay fine, " Fitz sighed, "I'll tell you what's going on. Liv is pregnant."

With the lack of emotion in his voice Margaret didn't know whether to be excited or worried. "Wow, that's grea- Oh." She then remembered, "You don't want kids."

"I do love her."

"But?"

"I don't know.."

"You've always jokingly mentioned not wanting to get married one day and not wanting to have kids and I genuinely never knew just how much you meant it when you said it. Now don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with your personal decision. But for me who have raised you, I just don't understand it. I mean I can't help but to wonder, did my marriage to your father and our parenting have any influence on your decision?"

"I don't think it did. I admire your marriage and how well you and Dad navigate life together. But I just don't think that I'd make a good enough husband or father."

"And why's that?"

He drummed his fingers on the countertop. "I mean I don't know. That's just how I feel."

"You don't know? Fitzgerald, you literally have a baby on the way, you need to figure this out. You need to be honest with yourself in order to be honest with Olivia because she deserves at least that."

"Well what do you want me to say. I just told you that's how I feel."

"But why do you feel like you just can't do it even though you love Olivia."

"It's just-- Kids. Being a father."

"You're scared."

Fitz didn't say anything but the expression on his face told her she was right.

"Well son, for what it's worth, I don't believe any person is ever fully prepared for marriage or parenthood but you learn as you go and you commit yourself to giving it your best."

"I get what you're saying and for me it's just-- I'm scared of a marriage not working and I'm afraid of bringing a child into this scary world and not being able to protect them or failing to be a good parent. And what really scares me is any possibility of losing the people I truly love."

"Is it safe for me to assume that this is why you've never gotten into any serious relationships, because you don't want to get your heart broken?"

"I know it sounds crazy but I just don't want to go through all that. I was never that vulnerable guy who allowed people in or to open up to them. If I had any problems I'd just go to a bar and have a drink or bury myself in work. But then Liv came into my life and I didn't even recognize how different I was with her because it was so natural. She was just this breath of fresh air and I could just tell her about everything that was on my mind. And I enjoyed it. I loved having someone to talk to so easily. I always felt like there was no reason for me to be vulnerable but her presence in my life changed that."

"And then you fell in love with her."

"I did." He smiled. "I love her so much."

"Love is something else isn't it? You know, I've heard somewhere something along the lines of when you give someone your heart, you also hand them the power to destroy you or rebuild you. What power do you think you gave her?"

"She definitely made me a better man." Fitz let out a loud sigh, "I don't want to lose her Mom."

"I want to tell you to get it together and stop being a coward but I don't want to get involved into your business even though technically I'm already involved since that baby is my first grandchild and I'm actually excited that I will get to experience being a grandma. But you're a grown man Fitz so the only advice I can give to you right now is; if you do make the decision to stay in your relationship and accept the baby, please do so because you genuinely want to be a father for that child because the worst thing you could possibly do is to stay because of your love for Olivia but then fail to love that baby and build a bond. That would ruin you, Olivia and that innocent child. So please son, think about this. I really don't want to make you feel bad but if you're seriously considering walking away then honestly you've wasted Olivia's time."

"Trust me I already feel bad."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why couldn't you just talk to Olivia about all of this?"

Fitz's eyes looked sad. "Because I've already hurt her enough with my reluctance. She's acting like she's okay and that this isn't all getting to her but I know she's hurting and I hate that. I hate that I'm making her feel that way when she's supposed to be feeling joy and happiness being pregnant because she's always wanted that. I-- She deserves better than a man who can't take responsibility."

"You're too caught up in your head. Just break it down and think about what your life will be like with whatever decision you make."

At that moment Fitz's phone beeped. "Looks like I should be on my way. They need me at the office." He said looking at the text.

"Okay. When do you go back home?"

"Well they still need me here.."

"Fitz." His mother's tone was warning.

"Mom I'm--"

"Being ridiculous." She said.

"I've gotta go. Love you."

"Abby tell me again why I agreed to go out with you tonight?"

"Ohh no missy, you're not about to bail out on me. Besides, you're already dressed and you look amazing by the way."

"Aw thanks Abby. But I've also had a really long day and I'd like to just relax in a nice hot bath."

"No, what you need is some fun and cheerfulness because you've been a little down lately."

"I'm fine Abby." She replied unconvincingly.

"We really should've been on our way already."

"At least promise me we'll get back by ten."

"Okay fine. Any other requests?" Abby asked sarcastically to which Olivia responded with laughter.

An unexpected knock on the door had them both looking confused.

"Who could that be?"

Liv shrugged. "Let me go and check."

Much to her surprise she found Fitz standing on the other side. "Oh? You're back?"

"Hi."

"Liv who's at the door?" Abby asked walking up to her. "Great. There goes our plans for the evening." She muttered under her breath when she saw her best friend's boyfriend.

"Sorry, I guess I should've called first." He apologized, looking at Olivia.

"I didn't think you'd be back this early."

"Everything went smoothly that side so they kind of don't need me there anymore."

"I see. Well um, we were actually on our way out."

Abby sighed. As much as she hated Fitz's guts at the moment, she knew the two of them desperately needed to talk so she decided to cancel her plans with Olivia. "It's okay Liv. We can make it another time."

"Abby you were really looking forward to tonight. Are you sure?"

Olivia wasn't ready to talk to him. She could only see one outcome of a possible conversation and she wasn't ready for it. She wasn't ready for them to be over.

Abby picked up on the desperation in Liv's voice and the two shared a knowing look. "I mean I did make a reservation for us and it would kinda suck to cancel now." It wasn't a lie. Abby was going to surprise Olivia with a late dinner at her favourite fine dining restaurant.

"In that case we should make sure that we get there in time." Liv glanced over at Fitz, "Sorry but--"

"I understand." He smiled faintly. "Well, let me get out of here, I don't want to hold you guys up. You look beautiful by the way."

"Thank you."

"Enjoy your evening Livvie." Fitz stepped forward to wrap her in a hug and Olivia buried her face in the crook of his neck. She really missed him. She missed them together and it hurt more than she wanted it to.

The rest of the night played out great, thanks to Abby. She made sure to keep Olivia laughing throughout the night and for those few hours to just forget about her worries.

"I didn't know I could have that much fun without a little alcohol in me." Abby admitted humourously. "Just don't expect me to stay on this no drinking wave throughout your pregnancy though because I'm not that good of a friend."

"Thanks for tonight Abby. I really enjoyed myself. It was nice to just live a little."

"You're welcome Liv. Now let's get moving, I promised I'd get you home by ten."

"You're adorable."

"Oh shut up."

Fitz made his way into the living room after having slept in a little later than usual since he had the day off from work. He trekked to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and got settled on the stool with his phone in his hand which he had not checked since the night before.

"Ten missed calls from Mr. Pope??" He frowned thinking what it could be about. Then it dawned on him that maybe Liv told her father about the pregnancy. But why would he call him so persistently at 10:45pm if that was the case.

Eventually Fitz decided to call Howard Pope back.

"Fitz! I've been trying to get ahold of you since last night. I called your work this morning but they told me you took the day off."

"Sorry about that. I went to bed kinda early last night. I assume that the reason you were looking for me was important?"

"I take it you haven't received the news yet."

"What news?" Curiosity got the better of him.

"Olivia's in the hospital."

"WHAT!? How? Why? What happened!?" Fitz was pacing now.

"Car accident with Abby. From what I was told a drunken driver crashed into them. I'm still at the hospital right now."

"Howard, is she okay? Please tell me she's okay."

"She's okay." Howard sounded slightly emotional.

"Thank God. Which hospital is she at? I'll be there soon."

Fitz arrived at the hospital in record time. He was thankful when he saw Olivia's father in the waiting room.

"Hi, can I go and see her?"

"Unfortunately not. She's due for a check-up any minute now."

"Oh, okay." It was only then that Fitz looked around the room and noticed Abby's family, realizing that he completely forgot to ask about her condition. "How's Abby doing?"

"She's doing okay. I just think they were both really lucky. It could've been so much worse."

"Have you been here since last night?"

"Yes. I wasn't going to leave my baby girl here on her own."

"I should've been here." Regret all over his face.

"Oh, no son, I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I'm just saying.. Livia is all that I have. She's my baby girl and just the thought of-If she had- I don't think I would have been able to live a life without both my girls." He said referring to the loss of his wife.

"I understand."

The two men kept a light conversation going until a nurse came and gave them the go-ahead to see Olivia. Fitz waited for Howard to make a move but the older man laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, "I'll give you two a moment alone. Go ahead."

"Thank you." Fitz said and hurriedly strode towards Liv's room.

When his eyes fell on her, relieved washed over him. He could finally breathe normally again. "Hi."

Olivia had a cut in her lip. Her body was bruised and she had a broken wrist. But she wasn't in any severe pain. "Hi." Her greeting filled with emotion.

Fitz sat at the foot of the bed. "I'm so sorry. I should've been here earlier. How do you feel?"

"Like I've been hit by a car." A little humour never killed nobody.

"Too soon Liv." Fitz said, not laughing. " You scared the hell out of me. Do you remember anything about the accident?"

"It really felt like the other car just came out of nowhere. Abby didn't even have time to swing out or anything. We just saw the bright lights coming closer and then felt the hit."

"Thank God you're okay. And Abby too."

"Yeah, it could've.." She swallowed back the lump forming in her throat. ".. we're all fine and that's all that matters."

Fitz rested a hand on her leg as he examined her face. "The.. " He cleared his throat and Liv could sense slight hesitance. "The baby..?"

"The baby is okay and even though I'm not that far along I will need to take it easy for a while. Doctor's orders."

He nodded. "Okay."

"Okay." She was almost mocking him. It just frustrated her that she still didn't know where things stood between them and whether or not they will be moving forward together.

"What?" He asked picking up on her tone.

"Nothing Fitz." Olivia rested her head down on the pillows and closed her eyes while letting out a sigh. "Nothing."

"Have you eaten anything yet?"

"Yes. They don't let their patients starve in here you know."

"I'm just making sure that you're okay Liv. So you're being discharged today right?"

"Mhm. My dad insisted that I stay with him until I've made a full recovery."

"Oh.."

She opened her eyes to look at him. "I didn't wanted to at first but then I thought about what if this accident turned out differently and what it would've been like for him if I didn't make it, you know. I think he just needs me close by for reassurance.. To know that I'm fine and I'm not going anywhere."

"Yeah, no of course. When I spoke to him I could tell that he was still a little shaken up."

"I've kept on trying to tell him that I'm okay and that it's not that serious but I guess he expected the worst when he received the news."

"Can I just.. Do you mind if I just wait here until you're ready to go?"

"I might just take a nap but sure, I guess you can stay."

"Hey Liv?"

"What?"

"Have you.. Did you tell your dad about.."

"Not yet. Can we talk once I'm home and we'll rested?"

"Okay."

Silence filled the room and soon Olivia fell into a slumber with Fitz moving to sit on the chair across from her bed.

Days later Fitz went to visit Liv at her father's house.

"Hi. I brought popcorn."

"You didn't have to Fitz." Liv stepped aside to let him in.

"I wanted to. Is your dad home?"

"No, he went to his bookclub meeting. You can leave the bag in the kitchen."

"So what have you been doing all day?" He asked, joining her in the living room.

"Not much. I've just been texting Harrison and Quinn back and forth to keep up with what's going on at the studio. I wanted to go out for a walk this afternoon but my nausea has been extra today, so much so that it really drained my energy." She said switching her gaze from the tv to his face, "..but I'm sure you didn't want to hear all that." They still haven't talked about their future. About the baby.

"Do you think you'd be okay for that walk now?"

"I--"

"We can just go around the block. But if you're not up for it then it's fine."

Olivia looked at Fitz with confused eyes. "This is weird."

"Weird?"

"Yes. What are we doing Fitz? I figured we'd have a genuine talk when you came back from your trip but. . You come to see me everyday but we just don't talk, you always deflect and I'm trying-" She released a sigh of frustration, "I just don't know anymore."

"Okay. Let's talk."

"And just like that you're ready to talk?"

"Like you said, I've been deflecting, I'll admit that. So let's talk."

"We cannot be in a relationship if you can't accept this child hence why I said that this, whatever it is that we're doing, is weird." Liv stated bluntly.

"I told my mom that you're pregnant."

"Okay and? What does that have to do with our situation? What is it that you want Fitz because this is getting really exhausting."

He scooted closer to her on the couch, "I want this. I really do. I want us. And I'm sorry that it took me far too long to realize that. But I want to be honest with you Livvie; I never envisioned myself as a father or a husband, you know that. We've always bickered about it when we were still just friends and it would end in a joke of some sort. But I have learned that sometimes different people and situations can bring out a different side of you, and you have definitely made me look at life differently. Yes, when you told me you were pregnant I wasn't too happy but that was because I didn't know that I wanted it. I was so clouded by my own insecurities that I wasn't thinking. I didn't ever think that I would want that life.. I didn't think that I wanted anything.. at least not until I fell in love with you. You came into my life giving me a chance at happiness that I might never have gotten with someone else. Your love and your presence in my life, it definitely changed me into a better man. But I still have things to figure out. If I want us to work and if we're going to be in this together then I have work to do, a lot of work, in order to become the partner you deserve and a father to that baby. I love you Olivia and I'm sorry for putting you through so much. But I promise you.. I want to be present in every moment with you and this baby and I want to enjoy that."

Olivia was trying to choke back the tears but failed. It was tears of relief and love and happiness. "I was so worried. Every day, I would wonder if it's the end for us because I felt like you were pulling away from me. And I wasn't ready to let you go, not yet."

Fitz pulled Olivia into his lap and brushed away her tears. "I'm so sorry baby."

"Are you really sure this is what you want though? I mean, I don't want you to say all of that just because you might feel like you'd be letting me down."

"Hey.." His thumb stroked her cheek, "..I want this. Period. It just so happens to be that I'm also kinda madly in love with you." The elated grin on her face made Fitz unbelievably happy.

"So what did your mom say when you told her?"

"Oh she was happy. She would've burst from excitement if I wasn't so miserable."

"You were soo miserable." She laughed, running her fingers through his hair. "You're lucky I love you, Abby on the other was damn near close to punching you in the face."

"I should probably apologize to her as well. She was just looking out for you."

"Yeah, I'm really glad to have her in my life."

"How is she doing by the way?"

"She's doing great; also just resting so that her injuries can heal."

"So, when do you think you will be moving back to your apartment?"

"Okay I'm not gonna lie, I kinda like living with my dad. It has been nice to just sit and talk for hours but also, being here has made me realize just how alone he actually is and I don't like that. There's no need for him to grow old all on his own, I mean what if he gets sick? Who's going to take care of him? I would want to be there for him but I can't be with him at all times."

"Soo you're staying, for now?"

"I don't know.."

"It looks like he keeps himself busy though."

"He does but at the end of the day what does he come home to? I'm here now but what if I go back to my own place then it's just him in this house."

Fitz left a soft kiss on her lips. "Have you talked to him about your concerns?"

"Sort of..but he just laughs it off and tells me to relax."

"Well are you going to tell him that you might be thinking of moving in with him?"

"Is it stupid that I'm actually considering to move in here?"

"Not at all. You care about him."

"I just need to know that he's okay at all times, that's all."

"Funny how you're here because he was worried and wanted to take care of you but now the roles are reversed."

Liv giggled and molded her body perfectly into Fitz's frame, breathing him in.

"I've missed holding you in my arms." He confessed and she hummed in agreement. "And I'm really sorry that I took away the joy of your first pregnancy. This should've been one of the most happiest times in your life and I ruined that for you."

"You didn't ruin it, not exactly. When it sunk in that I was going to be a mother..I was genuinely happy. But can you promise me not to shut down like that again? What hurt me the most was how you wouldn't communicate with me and be honest with me when we were always able to talk to each other about everything."

"I promise." He pressed a kiss on her forehead.