"It's now or never."

"I don't know if he has it in him to pull it off, honestly."

"Of course, he does. If anyone is going to start airing Langston's dirty laundry, it might as well be him."

"This is true."

Mellie and Cyrus were in deep conversation at the end of the conference table, lost in a strategic world of their own.

"I don't know, though. I really don't. It takes a certain kind of person to pull that trigger. And I, personally, don't know if-"

"He can pull it off. I know he can. He better pull it off, if he wants to win."

"We have enough dirt to-"

"Timing is everything, Mellie. We have to time this a certain way. And he-"

"Everyone," Fitz interjected, commanding the rooms attention while leaning forward in his conference chair, "He's here. In the room with you. HE is sitting right here. I'm. Sitting. Right. Here."

A few others from the campaign staff, Olivia included, were all pulled from their side conversations and silenced as the man in question made his presence known. Fitz stood from his chair, towering above the few campaign staffers in the room, rubbing his hands together in a business-like way.

"I appreciate all of the strategy that is being thrown around. I do. But, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I want to play all of this above board."

"That is NOT what's going to win you the Republican bid. Let me assure you of that, sir," Cyrus said adamantly.

"I will win, and without publicly defaming the competition. So, I suggest we each individually begin to brainstorm some other options. And," he looked down at his sleek watch, "continue this meeting tomorrow."

"But, Fitz-"

"Tomorrow, Mellie," he said plainly, turning his attention to his wife. "It's late. I don't think anyone in this room has enjoyed the outside air since the sun rose over twelve hours ago..." he looked around the room making brief eye contact with everyone, "We'll pick this up in the morning. Thanks everybody. Good work. Go home. Get some rest."

Everyone took a second to truly process the information before realizing this was not a drill. The room slowly emptied as the staff closed up shop for the evening. Fitz watched all of his loyal employees file out, one by one, eventually making his way to the upper level, where his office was located. Hours later, though, as he made his walked back to the lower level, he noticed a light still on in the small makeshift conference room. He was pleasantly surprised to find Olivia, pen and paper in hand, burning the midnight oil. She had her hair—with the exception of her bangs—pulled back in a low ponytail, a can of Redbull nearby, and some music playing from her laptop.

"I thought I sent everyone home."

She looked up with her large doe eyes and gave a cordial smile as her boss stood in the doorway. His tall stature filled the frame of the door as his arms stretched out on either side of the entryway. He looked only slightly tired, probably running on the same type of caffeine himself.

"You did," her friendly greeting caused a smile to drift upon his face. "Guess I got a little carried away," she stated as she lowered her hands to the table and let out a labored exhalation, glancing over the piles of paperwork."Time flies when you're having fun."

"Ms. Pope. Ever the overachiever."

She nodded in agreement with a smile, still staring at the mess of paperwork in front of her. "You could say that."

"Do you mind?" He asked as he pointed to the chair across from the desk. She looked up and gave a quick gesture, inviting him to take the seat for himself. "What a day, huh?"

Olivia put her pen down and comfortably leaned back in the office chair. She watched her boss make himself at home as he shifted a few nearby boxes and propped his feet up on them. He folded his hands together and was visibly relaxed. They shared a quick second where he just looked at her, waiting for her to chime in. It didn't seem like that wouldn't be approaching anytime soon so he decided to speak up.

"So, you've been here for a few weeks now. What are your thoughts?"

"My thoughts?" She didn't know where the conversation was headed.

"Yes, Ms. Pope, your thoughts. You're running this campaign well. I know you and Cyrus have your own way of operating, which I'm more than appreciative for. But, I've watched you for a while now. And, I'm asking, at this point in time in our campaign, what are your thoughts? I'm sure you have at least a few."

"I do," she plainly stated. "But, none that you need to be bothered with. It's my job to take this campaign and give you results. You have your hands full as it is."

He nodded his head slowly, as he thought over her response, seemingly understanding her statement.

"Okay...But, what about today? This evening, in the conference room when we were talking about Langston, what were your thoughts about that? If you were me, what would you do?"

Olivia tiredly smiled at him as she took a deep breath and let out a slow exhalation through her nose.

"Cyrus would kill me if he heard me tell you this. But, I have to say, Governor, that I agree with your statement earlier." Fitz raised his eyebrows in surprise at her response. He lowered his feet from the boxes and planted them on the ground as he leaned on the edge of his chair, clearly intrigued. "The use of negative propaganda against her is unnecessary. Not only does it pull away from the fundamental beliefs that you, yourself have verbalized time and time again, but it will only open Pandora's Box. The last thing we need is her team to start digging up old dirt on you."

He sat back again in his chair, this time confidently as he let out a quiet, almost inaudible chuckle, shaking his head in disagreement.

"They won't find any dirt on me."

"With all due respect, there's always dirt to find, sir. Old girlfriends, pictures from college, experimentation with drugs, "excursions" during your Navy days. These are all little pieces of your past that, once the digging begins, become huge aspects of your likeability within the public."

"Well, a couple things," he stated as he counted down her list with his fingers. "I've been with Mellie since undergrad at Harvard. I didn't do any drugs, except pot, which wasn't illegal at the time. And even that, was only occasional. As far as my Navy days," he looked up to the ceiling and laughed as he rubbed his hands together,"there was this one time in Thailand..." He lowered his face and looked at Olivia with a wicked grin on his face.

She giggled quietly, not daring to ask for more details. Shifting her weight forward, she began to close up the folders on her desk.

"I'll have to tell you about that some other time. Thanks for your input. But, anyway, seeing as how we just did a thirty second review of my past I think it's only fair you do the same."

"Governor..."she said, clearly not finding that idea to be one of his best, refusing to break eye contact from her desk.

"Oh, come on, Ms. Pope," he encouraged her. "I am very proud of the fact that I have a close-knit campaign staff. More than proud, actually. The only person I know little to nothing about is you." She paused and sat back again as she looked at him.

As much as she hated to admit it to herself, he was right. She would arrive to work before everyone, stay long after most of the staff had departed, go back to her apartment that she had rented during the campaign, and then wake up to do it all over again. She was there for one reason, and one reason only. To get Fitzgerald Thomas Grant the Third elected as the next leader of the free world.

"So...? Do I get at least a hint as to anything personal about you? Your favorite breakfast food? Whether or not you have any siblings? Anything will do, really."

"Anything?"

"If you share it, I'll take it," he said.

And there it was. That charming smile that made the women swoon. Olivia tried not to pay too much attention to the fact that he was good-looking, but she was more than familiar with the way her coworkers and most female voters felt about him. Every once in a while since she joined the campaign, he would flash a look that she would catch, and it would momentarily distract her. But, for the most part, she was able to keep herself in check. After all, he was her boss. Her married boss, at that. So, the light chatter about his handsomeness wasn't something she participated in.

She sat for a few seconds, deciding how she could maneuver her response so as not to get too personal. After racking her brain for a simple answer, she broke the silence.

"I'm currently hooked on those bagels across the street."

Fitz had a confused look about him and smiled at the choice of her response.

"Bo's Bagels?"

"That would be the place."

"Which bagel though? They have tons to choose from."

"I can pretty much eat any of them. But, my favorite type is usually The Everything Bagel."

"The one that looks like it fell in a pile of old leaves?"

She laughed, knowing that he was right. "Yup."

"Gross," he replied with a dramatically disgusted facial expression.

"Hey," she feigned offense, making him smile again. "Old leaves? Really? Have you actually tried it? Don't knock it till you try it, sir."

"Okay, okay. I will...So you're addicted to Bo's Bagels. Good to know. Thank you for sharing. Personal information number one: Olivia Pope is a bagel addict. But, I believe I requested at least two facts."

Olivia's wheels were turning. Why is he asking me so many questions? She was never one to open up about her personal life. But, something about the way he asked. He clearly wasn't trying to use this information to exploit her. He seemed genuinely interested.

"I'm an only child," she said in an emotionless tone.

"No siblings, huh?"

"Nope."

"So that's why you're more of a loner then."

"Who says I'm a loner? Did Cyrus say that?" Olivia obviously didn't like the idea of that term being used to describe her.

"No-It wasn't meant to be offensive. It's...just an observation by me. And, my vote doesn't even really count around here, as you've probably noticed." He smiled with slight shyness all of a sudden, hoping he didn't truly offend her.

"When I say loner I mean that you do your work and that's that. I haven't noticed you fraternizing with the others in the staff. At least not after hours. You know, you just don't seem like the team sports kinda girl. That's all I meant." Judging by how she was now looking at him, he was digging himself into an even deeper hole.

"Well, I am the team sports type. I was the captain of the swim team. In high school and college." Olivia at some point had crossed her arms in front of her body, her posture seemingly stiff.

He smiled at her rebuttal, always presently surprised by the quick tongue of such a sweet-looking face.

"Swim team, huh? Impressive. I'm not a half bad swimmer myself. I'll have to race you sometime."

"You'd lose, Governor," she stated with a smug expression.

"How tall are you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your height. How tall are you?"

"5'3". Why?"

"Well, that means I have almost an entire foot on you. Something has me thinking I'd have an advantage."

"You underestimate my skill."

"Trust me, Ms. Pope, I never underestimate your skill." His lowered voice and raised eyebrow displayed more intrigue than intended.

In that moment their eyes locked across the table, the music playing in the background the only sound in the room. Suddenly, her breath slowed and she found it impossible to look away from his entrancing eyes. As grey stared into brown, Fitz had a million more questions ready to ask. But, he knew he had already pushed her enough for one evening.

"Well," he said, standing up, rubbing his hands together and rolling his neck to loosen up his tight muscles. "Its late. Your significant other is probably wondering if you've been kidnapped or something." He smiled, subtly encouraging her to share more information of herself if she felt comfortable.

Olivia let out a sharp airy breath, amused by the notion that he assumed she was in a relationship.

"Does he mind the fact that you're consumed 24/7 with campaign work?"

"He doesn't mind, because he doesn't exist," she said with a snarky tone. She looked across the table at him as he stood a over her.

"You're single?"

Olivia nodded her head slowly, mindlessly organizing the papers in front of her, not making eye contact with with Fitz.

"No way. I don't believe you."

"I am," she said defensively looking up Fitz who was still standing across from her. "I'm single. I. Am. Single. Why don't people ever believe me?"

He wasn't expecting that type of response.

"You just..." he shrugged, "an intelligent, beautiful, successful young woman like yourself. I figured somebody would be smart enough to claim you as their own."

"Guess not..." she said dismissively, proceeding with the papers. Olivia didn't see the need to talk with her boss about the fact that she couldn't find a long-term boyfriend, even if she paid someone.

"Well," he said, picking up a stray pencil and tapping it on the edge of her desk mindlessly, "guess that works out well for me then."

She stopped again to give him a strange look. What does that even mean?

"I get to have you all to myself." He smiled at her but soon realized what he said and how it probably sounded."For the campaign, Ms. Pope. The campaign..."

"Right," she sharply answered. "Well, I should wrap up here and get going."

"Me too, actually. Let me go grab my stuff. I'll walk you out."

"That's not necessary. I can walk-"

"Don't be silly. Cyrus would have a cow if something happened to you. Especially on my watch. I'm just gonna close up shop in my office. I'll be right back."

A few moments later he walked her out to her car, turning off the lights and locking the doors as he made his way out.

"Where are you parked?"

"Over there."

They walked together in silence, despite Fitz's efforts to lighten the mood. As they approached her car, he smiled at her one last time for the night.

"Well, Miss Pope-"

"Olivia."

"I'm sorry?"

"My first name. Its Olivia."

I know what your first name is...how could you think I didn't?

"My mother is Ms. Pope."

"Okay, Olivia. It was a pleasure to finally spend some time with you. Next time, though, you're buying the drinks." He figured a small joke couldn't hurt. She didn't seem the least bit amused, though.

"Thanks for walking me to my car, Governor."

"You can call me Fitz, by the way," he called out as she opened her car door, "since we're on a first name basis now."

"You're my boss..."

"True. But, it's after hours. You're officially off the clock."

He gave her a final charming smile for the evening. Olivia looked at him suspiciously but couldn't hold back a small smile of her own as she sat in the drivers seat.

"Goodnight, Governor."

He chuckled and shook his head. Boy, is she stubborn.

"Goodnight, Olivia."

The next morning the office was quiet and still. Nobody had arrived yet, which was typical because of how early Olivia always showed up for work. She made her way to a side-room where she needed to grab some folders from a file cabinet. Suddenly, she felt someone watching her.

"Olivia, good morning." His deep baritone voice was a welcome sound to begin her day.

"Good morning, Governor Grant," she said timidly, trying not to give any indication that she was more than glad to see him.

"So, I figured we could pick up where we left off," he said seriously, as he walked towards her slowly.

"I'm sorry?" She continued to look through the file cabinet, attempting to ignore that she could feel him moving closer to her.

"Tell me more about yourself."

"More?" She finally turned around, only to notice that his body was only a few mere inches from hers. "Like what?"

"Like, why you're single."

Suddenly she felt flush and she darted her face down, deliberately refusing to make eye contact.

"We already talked about this."

"Youre absolutely right," he said firmly as he used his index finger to lift her chin. "We did. But, I was thinking, well, really, I was hoping, that you'd share more."

She was speechless as he slowly pulled her body towards him and lowered his face to the crook of her neck. It felt wrong. Oh, so wrong. But their bodies were like magnets against one another's. She could have sworn that he was going to kiss her, right against her sensitive skin, but instead he simply inhaled through his nose.

"You smell incredible, Ms. Pope."

"Governor," she said airily.

"Yes?"

"Governor."

"Yes, Ms. Pope? Or, you said you like Olivia, right?"

"Gov-" He gently kissed her neck as his hand began to caress her lower back.

"Shhhhh," he blew his soothing breath against her hot neck. "Just relax. You deserve to relax."

"Governnnnooo-"

Suddenly the office fire alarm rang loudly and her body jolted immediately into an upright position. As she got her bearings she realized it was actually the sound of her phone buzzing off the edge of her nightstand.

"What!" She blared as she answered the phone, adjusting her eyes to the light in her bedroom.

"Liv, you okay?"

"Cyrus?" She asked as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm fine. Why are you calling?"

"Why am I- Liv, its eight in the morning and-"

"What?!" All of a sudden she jumped out of bed, accidentally hitting her knee on her nightstand. "Ouch! Jesus! My alarm clock didn't go off. Shit!" Her eyes were still squinted and eyebrows narrowed as she looked at the time on her phone and raced to turn the shower on.

"Liv. I don't usually say this to people that aren't me, but calm down. Its not a big deal. You're always here earlier than everyone else. Take it easy, we'll see you when you get here."

"I'll be there as quickly as possible."

"No problem. And, Liv?"

"Yah, Cy."

"Pop a Xanex or something, kid. You gotta relax."

"I'll see you soon."

She stripped off her tank top and panties and jumped in the shower, quickly trying to adjust the water temperature. As she calmed herself down, she regulated her breathing and closed her eyes, letting the warm water sooth her from her already hectic morning. She hated being late and off of schedule, but she couldn't help taking a moment to think about that dream she was just ripped from.

What the hell was that about?!

"So, you'll be proud of me. Taking time out to bond with my team. I had some good one on one with Olivia, finally. Last night I caught up with her before she headed home."

"Brilliant girl. The best." Cyrus was busy multi-tasking as he typed away furiously on his laptop.

"Well, obviously. Once I got over her embarrassing me in front of my entire staff on her first day..."

"A minor hiccup in the genius work of the one and only Ms. Pope."

"You taught her at Georgetown, right?"

Cyrus paused his typing to look up at Fitz with an irritated look. He hated small talk claiming that it was "an unnecessary filler to much more important conversations."

"Sure. She was my star student. They don't get any better than her. I've known her family for years, too."

"Was she as serious then as she is now?"

He chuckled before giving a response.

"I don't know. In a way, I guess. She had a boyfriend then. But halfway through her schooling they broke up or he moved or something. And, it was like something snapped. She threw herself into her studies, and a star was born. My star was born."

Fitz sat and listened. And, almost as if on cue, the woman in question entered through the front door of campaign headquarters, blending in with the rest of the staff in her Grant for President tshirt and slim-fit blazer. Typically she wore her hair in a loose ponytail but this morning it was out and wavy, her bangs slightly windblown. How does she look so cute yet sexy, every day? He couldn't pull his eyes from watching her energy fill the room.

"She's something else. Olivia."

"I'd have to agree with you on that," Cyrus looked on as Fitz watched her through the window. She was more than impressive as she fell right into place with the hustle and bustle of the office. Cyrus decided to speak up, deliberately pulling his candidates attention away from his protege."In other news, sir, we need to tighten up some wording for your next campaign stop. Mellie offered some pointers that I think might help."

Fitz turned his face to Cyrus, getting back into the task at hand.

"I'm all ears."

"Hey, Olivia. Slept in today, huh?"

"Something like that." She walked and talked, bags in hand, folders and papers being passed to her along the path to her office.

"Well, you missed breakfast."

"Breakfast?" She stopped dead in her tracks to look at the young staffer, Jeanine. "We didn't have one scheduled today."

"Oh, no. This one was in-house. Governor Grant bought a bunch of bagels from Bo's Bakery across the street. Oh, and muffins and juice too. So, we all ate breakfast together this morning, per his request."

Olivia nodded slowly, her eyes darting around the office to see if he was in eyesight.

"Well that was nice of him."

"Yeah. We sat next to each other," she said in a girlish tone. This was a regular occurrence within their female staff. "He must have come in this morning straight after his shower because he smelled like heaven. His body wash scent was-"

"Jeanine, I really don't need to know what type of body wash the Governor uses."

"Right," the young woman sobered quickly. "Anyway, here are the polls you emailed me about."

"Thank you. And no more sniffing our candidate." She waved behind her as she walked away, attempting to get her workday started.

While she unloaded her belongings and went to sit down at her desk, she noticed a neatly folded brown bag on her chair. It had a note stapled to it.

Olivia,

I know you said you're not partial when it comes to Bo's Bagels,

but I figured you might enjoy this one to get your day started right.

P.S.-I told them to roll it in extra leaves for you;) -Fitz

Olivia had to laugh at herself as she opened the bag and noticed two everything bagels waiting to be eaten. As she looked up, straight across from her office door, she saw the Governor himself. Wearing his staple outfit of a baby blue work shirt and suit pants.

He walked up behind Cy who was busy giving orders to someone and rubbed his shoulders to get his attention. Just then he looked straight ahead, catching eyes with Olivia. She subtly raised the small brown bag with a nod of her head to acknowledge that she received her small gift. They shared a warm smile through the hectic crowd of staffers, and he mouthed a word that made it only polite for her to respond in same.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Did you forget?"

"Oh, shit," was her initial response as she answered the late night phone call.

"Liv! You promised..."

They had a standing chess date online once a week.

"I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I'm still at the office."

"What?! It's like 10:30...why the hell are you still there?"

"Trying to catch-up. I overslept today and we have the town hall forum coming up soon so I have tons of charts and demographics and-"

"Wait. You woke up late? That's a first. Are you sick? You're running yourself too thin. Don't let this campaign run you into the ground. I get that this is everyth-"

"Abby. I'm fine," she groaned with a roll of the eyes. "Jesus, I sleep in a little and people act like-"

"No. You said you overslept. As in, it was unintentional."

"I know..."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. I'm totally fine. I promise. It was silly really. I had this crazy dream and it felt like I was at work..."

"A dream, huh? The type that makes you oversleep. Sounds interesting."

"Yes, Abby. It's not a big deal."

"Oh, come on Olivia. I know you. You're forgetting that I'm more than familiar with the fact that you only dream under certain circumstances. Hook a sister up. Give me something here. I could use a good distraction right now. Please?"

"Okayyyyy. But no judging! And you cannot repeat this to anyone. I mean nobody."

"Who exactly do you think I'd be sharing this with? The neighborhood Stepford Wives? Come on, Liv. This is me we're talking about."

"True.." There was still a bit of hesitation in Olivia's voice but Abby was her closest friend. If she was going to explain her ridiculous dream to anyone, this was the person. So, she stood up to close her office door and began talking quietly. "Okay, well. I don't even know how the dream started, honestly. But, I was in my office and Governor Grant..." she shook her head and closed her eyes just at the thought of his name, "this is embarrassing. Why am I sharing this right now?"

"Because I'm one of your closest friends. Don't keep a girl waiting."

Olivia pinched the bridge of her nose and took a calming breath. Maybe it's better to just blurt it out?

"So he was here, too. But, nobody else was around. And I was in a dark side office and he started asking me personal questions. And then next thing I know he's standing right behind me, and his amazingly buff body was pressing against mine, and I started getting all flushed and he started slowly kissing my neck, like really slowly and softly, and-"

"Damn, Olivia."

"I know," she exhaled. "Trust me, I know."

"Well, keep going."

"That's it, really. Then I woke up to my phone ringing off the hook with Cyrus reminding me that I'm not the lead character in a Harlequin novel."

Abby busted out laughing on the other end, forcing a girlish giggle and smile from Olivia. They laughed for a moment together, like two teenage girls.

"So, you have a thing for Grant, huh?"

That statement sobered Olivia immediately.

"No! I do not have a thing for anyone. He's my boss. My very married boss that-"

"What's the Mrs. like, anyway?"

"How did you say it? Stepford Wife?"

"Naturally."

"She's actually very bright. And kind of interesting, in her own controlling way. I can tell her wheels are always turning. She'll fit right into the First Lady role."

"Well, good for her," Abby replied sarcastically before dropping her voice to an emotionless tone. "In the meantime, try not to openly drool in front of your delectable candidate."

"Abby, it's not... It was just a dream! A wierd, twisted, sensual, dream that was totally out of the blue. I don't even-"

"I'm kidding! You're so uptight, you know that? You're right, it was just a dream. Didn't you ever have wierd dreams about your high school earth science teacher?"

"What? No."

"Hm. Must just be me." Olivia laughed at Abby's off the wall comments. "Anyway. Sounds like Charles is finally home. I gotta run."

"I thought you were making him a big meal earlier tonight before his business trip."

"I did. And just as I lit the last candle he called to inform his doting wife that something came up last minute."

"Abby..." Olivia was more than familiar with the type of relationship Abby had with Charles.

"It's fine, Liv. Just means I'll have a plenty of leftovers to pick from while he's gone. Besides, I'd rather him bore his newest girlfriend with his stories from college than me."

"Abby... I don't know what to say. Thats not easy for anyone to-"

"Liv. I gotta go. I'm fine. Really. I promise. We'll talk soon?"

"Definitely."

"Call me in the morning if you have another dream. I want all the dirty details."

"Goodbye, Whelan."

"Bye."

Olivia sat back in her chair, looking off into thin air, suddenly saddened by the state of Abby's marriage. She never understood the concept of being in any relationship where the love was obviously nonexistent. But, if all Abby wanted was a loyal friend to support her, then that's what she would do. As she pulled herself from her thoughts of Abby's marital problems, she looked down at her desk and realized she had plenty of her own work to consume her mind. Charts, invitations, letters from voters, potential financial supporters; it was all she could eat, breathe, and think about.

And the common denominator between it all? Fitzgerald Thomas Grant the Third.

A/N

Gladiators! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter to my latest fanfic. Even though this is technically my third stab at a story, I consider myself brand new at it. If you are familiar with the my first one, Can We Try Again, then I hope this first installment to the prequel lived up to your expectations. If you haven't read the other one yet, feel free to check it out. Its this same version of Olivia and Fitz, years down the line, post-presidency and way more domestic.

As always, leave me a review. Thoughts/comments/suggestions...anything. Feedback from you guys is what keeps me going and attempting to write more exciting chapters. This story will be rated T for the first few chapters, while Olivia and Fitz become more comfortable with each other. And then...well, you guys know how these two crazy kids can get...I'll be forced to make it an M rating... So, THANKS FOR READING! Until next time;) ~storygirllo87~