A/N: Here we go! Story picks up about two and half years from where we left off. I hope you guys enjoy and tell me what you think! Enjoy your Scandal Thursday! (I'm going to be REALLY, SUPER DUPER pissed if I have to deal with too much Jake Bastard tonight :'( pray for me, y'all lol)

Harrison lay motionless in his bed, his eyes shut tight and his head comfortably sandwiched between two fluffy pillows to block out all light and sound. It was early, he could feel it in his bones, and his mind was consciously rebelling against the idea of getting up out of his soft bed and beginning the day when he didn't have to.

It never ceases to amaze me that when I can't sleep in, I'm more tired than ever, but when there's no place for me to be, I'm up at the crack of dawn. I can't deal with myself.

He sighed, but still didn't move from his position. He was committed to taking advantage of his luxury to relax and figured that if he laid there long enough, eventually his body would get the hint and fall back to sleep. Harrison had just turned over and gotten comfortable on his right side when his phone began ringing on the other side of the room, still in the pocket of the pants he had worn last night.

SCHOOL'SSSSSS OUT. FOR. SUMMERRRR!

SCHOOL'SSSSSSSS OUT. FOR. EVERRRRRR!

"Who the hell is calling me at the damn crack of dawn?" Harrison groaned aloud to the empty room, deciding in his mind to ignore it. Whoever it was, they could wait until a more decent hour to talk. Anyone and everyone who had his number was well aware that Harrison had only days ago handed in his last paper and sat for the last exam of his undergraduate career. College was finally over, and now that it was senior week, he fully intended to act make memories every night and sleep in every morning until graduation.

Suddenly the music ceased and immediately picked back up again. Annoyed, Harrison hopped up out of the bed in a huff, cursing the entire way across the room to roast the persistent caller.

"Now I'm never gonna get back to fucking sleep! I'm sleep, damn it, Harrison is asleep!" When he finally wrestled the mobile out of his twisted jeans, he saw that it was none other than 'Mom's Cell' ringing him.

Oh, hellll no, Harrison thought to himself as a glance at the bedside clock informed him that it wasn't even nine o'clock yet. It's way too early in the morning to deal with her bullshit. Harrison hit ignore and made his way back under the covers, this time bringing his cell with him. When the phone rang for the third time, however, he decided to answer it thinking that maybe something was wrong.

"Yes, Mom?" Harrison answered, projecting a little more attitude than he had intended.

"Finally, you answered! Goodness, what were you doing? I just know you don't have one of those little fast ass girls over there. Who are you with and why did you reject my call?"

"Mom, I was sleeping. You know, like most ordinary humans do at eight forty-three in the morning."

"Right. Well, we're here."

"Here, where, exactly? And who in the world is 'we?' Do not tell me,-"

"Will you calm down, it's just me and your Aunt Patty and 'here' is at the airport, Gate thirty-seven. Google says your house is a fifteen minute drive from here. I'm expecting you here in twenty," she instructed him briskly.

"What the hell, Mom? We talked about this, I thought you said weren't coming?"

"I never said to that. My only child is graduating with honors, why would you I was't coming? My baby is going to Columbia! No, I wouldn't miss this for the world. The devil himself couldn't keep me away. You said I shouldn't come if I was going to bring Darryl, which, I didn't, instead I brought Aunt Patty."

"Ughhh," Harrison groaned. "Patty is just as bad, if not worse, than Darryl himself! You know I can't She's the devil by proxy!" As much as he always tried to mind his mouth when it came to his elders, Harrison couldn't for the life of him stand his stepfather's sister, Patty. At first glance, most people underestimated the older woman of diminutive stature, but she was a bully and instigator right up there with the best of them. Aunt Patty never missed an opportunity to start an argument and it only served to excite her more if the altercation turned physical, in fact she encouraged it.

"Watch your mouth, Harrison, and get your ass out of bed and get down here, now. If I have to tell you again, there's going to be hell to pay!" His mother yelled, and he could picture her in the middle of the airport flailing her arms and drawing attention to herself.

"Okay, okay, I'm on my way, Ma," he assured her, but the only response was the sound of the call ending in his ear.

Harrison shook his head and sighed, "It's going to be one long ass week."

Harrison had thrown on his clothes and flown out of the door in record time. Paying little heed to most traffic laws and regulations, he had put the pedal to the metal and somehow beat his mother's deadline of twenty minutes, pulling in at a smooth seventeen and a statuesque frame standing out in the crowd and he had located his mother in her bright orange sun dress without difficulty.

"Hey Mom, you look great," Harrison complimented her as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. It had been almost a year since he had been home last, but she looked much more well rested than she had last been. "How was your flight?"

His mother kissed him back. "It would have been better if my son didn't keep me waiting going on an hour, but it was fine, nonetheless."

"Mother, I didn't even know you were coming, for crying out loud," Harrison countered. "I'm here now, let's just get along, okay?" He loved his mother, but she could be absolutely impossible sometimes. Most times, actually, if he was being honest with himself, which was why he had come to limit his visits home to once a year, if that.

"Ummm-hmmm. Well don't be rude, say hello to your Aunt Patty," his mom urged, pushing him in her direction. She was well aware of his disdain for the lady, but yet and still insisted on bringing her around.

"Hello, Aunt Patty," Harrison offered with a polite smile.

"Come give your Aunt Patty some sugar, boy! Acting like you don't know nobody," she smiled crookedly and opened her arms up for an embrace, her gums and unnaturally white dentures all exposed.

Harrison plastered the most genuine smile he could muster before hugging her quickly. "How have you been, Aunt Patty?" He asked before kissing her on the cheek and stepping backwards out of her grasp. Her clothes always smelled of old cigarettes, cheap wine and knock off Chanel number five for as long as he could remember and it took everything in him not to gag.

"Uhn-uhn," she insisted, wagging a finger accusatorially at him. "Some real sugar."

Harrison could swear he felt himself throw up in his mouth a little bit. The two of them had been doing the same song and dance since he was nine and his mother had first married into Darryl's twisted family. Never satisfied with a simple kiss on the cheek, Aunt Patty always insisted on kissing him on the lips, no matter how hard he tried to resist it.

It was a strange notion for him, as even his blood relatives had never insisted on such intimacy, and it might not have been so bad, were it not for her breath always smelling of three dollar red wine. For as long as he could remember she had always kept her flask brimming and handy, filled to the max with what she had aptly dubbed 'The blood of Jesus.'

Harrison pecked her lips quickly to get the dirty business over with, grabbed their bags and directed them towards the car. "Follow me, ladies," Harrison instructed as he led the way, the entire time praying for a calm, uneventful visit. Nevertheless, the three of them hadn't been in the car for five full minute before the shenanigans began.

"So, which hotel are you staying at Mom?" Harrison asked innocently enough.

"You hear this boy, Patty? Which hotel am I staying at? Didn't even offer his house. I've seen pictures, I know you've got the room. Even if you don't, family makes room. Don't you love your mother?"

"Mom, I don't live alone, I have a housemate. It wouldn't be right for me not to run it by him first, which I never got a chance to do because you didn't gave me fair warning. Plus, you've never liked Huck anyways, I know you don't want to stay with us. On top of that, the place isn't quite prepared to be inhabited by such classy women so yourselves."

"What do you mean by that? I hope you're not living in filth! I know I taught you better than that, Harrison," his mother scolded him.

"Ma,-"

"We have a room at the Westin, just take us there," she insisted with a roll of her eyes. Harrison gripped the wheel frustratedly. It was just like her to argue with him over hypothetical situations, to get under his skin and then dismiss him.

Aunt Patty chose this time to join the conversation. "Harrison, I know you're at college around all this temptation, but I pray you're not having premarital sex with any of these fresh little girls out here."

"I'm not, ma'am," he lied through his teeth.

"Ummm-hmmm, the devil is a liar," she replied knowingly, watching his face in the rear view mirror. Aunt Patty slipped her flask out of her purse and sipped slowly before talking again."Speaking of liars and fresh little girls, where is that cousin of yours?"

Harrison felt the heat rise to his ears and glanced at his mother, but she averted her gaze towards the window. "I say this with all due respect, Aunt Patty, but watch your mouth when you speak about my family. Olivia is nobody's liar."

The old woman scoffed, "Do you hear this boy, Tiffany? 'Watch your mouth.' You gonna let him talk to me just any old way?!"

Tiffany huffed before craning her neck to look at her companion in the back seat. "He's incorrigible, Patty." She cut her eyes at him, "He even bucks me when it comes to that little ingrate, like she birthed him! I'm the one who gave you life! Respect your elders, boy."

Harrison's nostrils flared, "My name is not 'boy,' and I would appreciate it if you both would stop addressing me as such."

His mother shook her head, "You see what I go through with him? All I've ever done is try to give him the best life; I always sent him to the best schools, kept a roof over his head and nice clothes on his back, and now you see how he goes and talks to me? Neither you nor that little girl know the meaning of love and family!"

Harrison slowed to appraise the traffic and realized that their trip out of the airport was going to be longer than the trip there. Just my luck, he groaned internally. "Mother, do we really have to-"

"YES, we really have to!"

Harrison threw his hands up in the air, "Here we go."

"Yes, here we fucking go! Lord, forgive me, but y'all just try my patience! Seven years, Patty! It's going on seven years since I've last seen or heard from that little heifer. I take her into my home because she's my sister's only child, and this is how she repays me? I know Lisa is just rolling in her grave. The girl acts like I don't exist, like I did something to her after gonna try to lie to me about my own husband."

"That's how these young girls are," Patty chorused in, fanning the fire.

"Crying about a whipping or two, talking about abuse!" his mother scoffed.

"Spare the rod, spoil the child," Patty threw out.

"Exactly, she doesn't even know the true meaning of abuse. Lisa didn't whip that tail enough, that's why she was in the state she was in when I got my hands on her."

Harrison couldn't stop himself from interjecting, "It was much more than 'a whipping or two' and you damn well know it!"

"I'm not gonna warn you again to watch your mouth, boy. If I was smart, I would have let Darryl get in your ass, too, that sperm donor of a father of yours be damned. He didn't hurt that girl, and when he did, she provoked him."

"Wow," Harrison muttered in disbelief, even though he wasn't sure why he was surprised when they had some variation of this conversation over half a hundred time over the years. In fact, he already knew what was coming next, "My mother..."

"My mother, your Nana, God rest her soul, she was married three times, three times! Do you think I liked all of them? You think they all treated me well? You think I didn't get a lick or two? But the difference between her and I is, I never complained and I never held it against my mother, god rest her soul. I knew how to stay in a child's place and you know what I grew up and got a man of my own and then I understood."

Harrison shook his head and decided to actively tune out the rest of the conversation. There was no winning with his mother. She was like a broken record. A victim of abuse herself, it was sad to him that she didn't realize how she had become a perpetrator in the cycle and he was powerless to fix it.

Fitz stood back and assessed the dining room table. He had spent the last twenty minutes setting and resetting it in preparation for his lunch date with Olivia. They had agreed to meet up at home following her interview with the prestigious Slade, Hort & Associates Law firm. It was a small, but very well respected firm which specialized in criminal law and crisis management. After assessing their needs in the spring, they had sent out a limited number of invitations for interviews to a select few candidates, of which Olivia had been one. Fitz was super anxious to know how it had gone, but instead of focusing on that, he carefully analyzed their place settings while he waited impatiently.

As a centerpiece, Fitz had chosen a large vase of lavender roses. He had first given her a bouquet of them on their first anniversary because the florist had explained to him that they represented enchantment and love at first sight, which he found very appropriate. Now, they were her absolute favorite flowers and he reveled in the look of delight that spread across her face whenever he surprised her with the colorful petals.

Standing beside the flowers on either side were two tall, vanilla scented candles which were currently perplexing him. He liked the aesthetic of candlelight, but seeing as how it was only a hair past one o'clock, it felt ridiculous to light them. He had closed the blinds to dim the room and make the atmosphere more appropriate, but it was such a beautiful day outside that he was sure she would want to enjoy the sunlight, so here he was, back square one.

He looked over at the cat that was watching his every movement lazily from across the room, "What do you think, Saatchi? Would mommy like it better lit or unlit?" Before she could give him a sign, Fitz heard the door opening and closing to the apartment.

"Sunlight it is," he decided with finality, blowing out the candles.

"Fitz?"

"In the dining room!" He yelled out.

She rounded the corner and beamed brightly at the display on the table. "Oh wow, this is so nice, baby." She wrapped her arms around his middle, "You didn't have to do all that, it was just an interview," she smiled, but he could tell something was off.

His kissed her forehead and held onto her tightly, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course."

"I only set the table. I ordered the food," he admitted.

She laughed, "Well you had me fooled, I thought you whipped up this Steak Teriyaki all by yourself.

He cupped her chin and kissed her lips, "Sooo, how did it go?"

"It went okay," she answered vaguely, burying her face in his chest.

"Just okay?"

She shrugged, "It went well, I guess. They said they'll be in touch...but he alluded to the fact that I was pretty much in. Actually, he said I could start after the July fourth holiday, if I wanted to."

"What?! Baby, that's so beyond okay, that's amazing!" Fitz exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

Fitz pulled back and eyed her carefully, knowing there was something she wasn't saying. When he had seen her last this morning, Olivia had been damn near bouncing off the walls with excitement for this interview. Although she had already been offered positions with three other firms, as well as a clerkship, Olivia had her heart set on getting her foot in the door with Hort, Slade & Associates. They were one of only two firms in town with a reputable crisis management team.

He pulled a chair out, sat and pulled her onto his lap, "Tell me what happened, Livi."

She sighed and looked over his shoulder out of the window. "I don't know, really. It was going well, up until the end, really well. He seemed super interested in my resumé and experience, seemed really happy with all of my answers to his questions, but then, at the end..."

"At the end?" Fitz urged her to go on.

"He told me that I should tell you hello, and that he had spoken with Mayor Lewis who had nothing but glowing reports on me."

"Okay? And?"

"Okay? Don't you get it?" She finally looked at him and he could see her bottom lip beginning to tremble. "The whole interview was just a formality. They didn't invite me to come in because they were impressed with me, personally, or my grades, or my work, it was about making a connection. They're only interested in me because I'm married to you."

"Livi...no, baby. Don't cry... That is so not true, honey," he rubbed her back as she buried her head into his shoulder. It made sense to him then why she didn't seemed pleased. He knew she took her academic integrity quite seriously, so he was sure it had hurt when the man had undermined that.

"It is, Fitz. I know it is. I thought it was strange the way the whole interview process had gone, but I thought...I don't know what I thought. I just feel so stupid."

"Olivia, if there is anything in the world you're not, it's stupid. You are way more than just a pretty face and way more than just my wife, and we both know that. How many nights have we stayed up until sunrise, going oversevere statute under the sun?"

"Too many to count," she chuckled

"Not only that, who was asked to sit on the board for the Harvard Law Review and the Moot Court Board?"

"Me, but-,"

"Ah- and who has only brought home honor passes since beginning her law school career?"

She shook her head, but she was smiling more genuinely now. "Baby, I get what you're saying but it still bothers me...What if someone else more capable misses out because they wanted me for my connections? I don't want to fail. "

"Honey, not only are you completely brilliant and capable, you're an incredibly hard worker. those nights we stayed up going over material, I was one hundred percent sure you knew it backwards and forwards already, but you never quit at it. Never rested on your laurels. You know your stuff. And that's part of why I love you so very much."

"But baby, that doesn't matter because thats not why I got offered the position."

"It doesn't matter. Look, if anyone understands having to bear the weight of the 'Grant' name, it's me. I spent a lot of time fighting it, but to no avail. I don't want you to be naive, honey. A lot of getting ahead in law and politics is not based on what you know, but who you know. Thousands of people have the same degree, it's networking and connections is that makes people stand out and employers take notice, even career services will tell you that. That's just the way of the world, neither of us can change that. If you being Mrs. Grant is what caught their attention, so what? That aside, you still deserve it, and not even you can convince me otherwise. Your name got you in the door, but it's your work that will keep you there and help you rise to the top. You were made for this, baby. I know it. I can't think of anyone in the entire world who could fill that position better than you could, could you?"

She smiled, "No. But,-"

"Hey, no buts. They would be lucky to have you, any firm would. Now, it's up to you who you decide to bless with your presence. I'm beside you, no matter what you choose. Take your time and think about it. But for right now, we should probably eat before it all gets cold."

"Okay, it looks great. Feed me, Seymour," she joked.

Fitz laughed, "Hey, what do you think about playing hookey after lunch? Wanna change and go to the park after we eat? Throwthe ball around a little bit?"

She smiled, "For sure. But since I'm technically unemployed and school is out for the summer, I wouldn't be skipping out on anything. You're not gonna get in trouble for skipping out, are you?"

"No, I had a my meetings this morning. I told John I might do the rest of my work from home so that I can get a head start on getting ready for my trip tomorrow." Fitz had been invited to speak at and attend a conference at Amherst College a couple of hours away, and his train was leaving later in the evening. He was taking the very last one out, since he hated long drives out by himself.

She pouted, "Ugh, don't remind me. What in the world am I going to do without you for two whole days?"

"It's not two days, more like thirty six hours. And you don't have to be without me, you can still change your mind."

"I want to, sooo badly, but I promised Harrison-"

"That you would do senior week with him, I know," Fitz finished. Both Olivia and Harrison had had very demanding and incompatible schedules this past semester, and it was agreed that they would have fun and catch up, especially since Harrison was due to be leaving for law school in New York in a few weeks. "I checked the train schedule to Amherst this morning and it's all sold out, even if you did change your mind, unfortunately. I'm always willing to hide you in my suitcase, however," he offered with a smile.

"I love you, Fitz," she beamed.

"I bet I love you more."

"I bet you don't."

Harrison trudged his way through the meadow, swatting bugs the entire way. He had Drake blasting in his ears as his eyes searched the different crowds nearby the picnic tables to see if he could spot Olivia and Fitz. Almost immediately he spotted Fitz's 'Grant' jersey a few feet from the area where Liv had told them they would be, and if his eyes were correct, he had Olivia over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

Harry chuckled to himself and shook his head. The two of them were so silly, but it made him smile. He loved the fact that they seemed genuinely happy together and even more so, he loved what being with Fitz had brought out in Olivia. Even though he frequently teased her about being domesticated, he had to admit that Fitz brought out the best in her. She seemed much more sure of herself now, more self assured and confident. There was an inner light that being in love had sparked within her and it illuminated so brightly that he couldn't help but be affected by it.

Harrison admired them. After growing up being surrounded by one after the other of his mother's dysfunctional relationships, it gave him hope that he too could find someone he could be happy with, that he could find a relationship not characterized by cycles of violence and abuse.

"Harry!" He heard her voice call out, having had spotted him while he was spacing out and walking in their direction. They were still a little far off, but he could tell she was in a good mood. He didn't know if that would make the delivery of this news better or worse, but he only hoped that she would understand his predicament. Olivia hadn't explicitly asked that he not invite his mother, in fact, they hadn't spoken much about her over the few years. That only served to make it more awkward because he wasn't sure how much, if any, she had truly healed regarding the situation and he didn't want to open up old wounds.

It repulsed him that his own mother could not only deny but defend actions as disturbing as the ones his stepfather was guilty of committing, but at the end of the day, she was still his mother and he loved her without reservation. He had come to terms with the fact that he didn't like her very much, and if she hadn't gave life to him, he probably wouldn't have had anything further to do with her, but she had. Their bond would be unbreakable until one of them died, but he knew that with Olivia it was different. It wasn't her mother, so he could understand that she would be much less forgiving. Nevertheless, he was praying that she would come to his graduation ceremony, in spite of her presence. It meant the world to him that she be there for his big day.

"Hey guys, how's it going? How was your interview, Liv?"

She shrugged, "Not too shabby."

Fitz beamed, "She's being humble as usual. She killed it, of course!"

Harrison smiled, "That's my cuz!"

"What are you doing up, anyway?" Olivia asked suspiciously. "It's barely two-thirty, I was sure I wouldn't hear from you before five o'clock in the evening, what with the way you were carrying on yesterday."

It was Harrison's turn to shrug, "It came as a shock to me as well. Something kinda came up this morning. You guys wanna sit at one of the tables? Chat for a bit?"

"Uh-oh," Olivia furrowed her brows. "What's wrong?"

"I have some good news, some ambivalent news and some bad news. Let's sit and y'all can decide what you want to hear first."

"Okay good news first," Olivia declared, throwing herself onto the bench.

Harrison cleared his throat as they waited in earnest for him to begin talking. "Uh, stop staring at me like that, y'all are making me nervous."

"It makes me nervous that you're nervous, so just go ahead it spit out already," Olivia urged.

"Welllll," Harrison drug the word out, "the good news is, you guys won't have have to worry about missing me...because I've decided to stay in Boston."

Fitz cocked his but didn't speak and Olivia's face was somewhere between a smile and a frown, he couldn't quite tell.

"What about Columbia?" Olivia asked.

"That's the ambivalent part, I'm not going. Well, I may go in the future, but for now, I'm not."

She raised her eyebrows at that, "But Harry, they offered you an awesome financial aid package, housing, the whole nine. You seemed so excited about it. What's changed?"

"To be honest, I don't know if I was ever truly excited about going as much as I was excited about getting in. Ever since senior began, I've been feeling like there's a black cloud hanging over my head. And I've been doing a pretty good job of hiding it, but seriously, guys, graduating scares the shit out of me. Everyone else seems so happy about leaving school and moving on, but I just feel sad about it. I don't know what I want to do with my life, and that's scary, so I did the obvious thing and applied to school. Eleven different schools, at that. It was fun receiving acceptance letters, a competition, an ego boost. But after that high was over, I started questioning if it was really the right move for me. I don't want to spend three years in a program only to realize then that it's not what I want to do. It wouldn't be fair to myself, or to the other people who applied and really wanted to be there, but couldn't be, because I selfishly used it as a vehicle to put off growing up and facing the real world."

Olivia nodded her head to show that she understood and Fitz finally spoke up "I completely understand. When I graduated from college, I did what my family expected of me and went to the Navy because I was afraid of pursuing my own dreams and failing. I only wish that I had the inner fortitude to stand on my own two feet and take a chance. I applaud you Harrison, for having the courage to live your own authentic life. Nevertheless, it does beg the question, what are you going to do instead?"

Harrison shrugged with a smile, "I don't know, but I'm excited to figure it out. I was thinking I'd get a job. This MIT degree has got to be worth something, right? I want to stay local, there's no reason for me go go back to Ohio, and I'd miss all you guys too much. I want to volunteer around, read a bunch of books, meet people, maybe write a little bit. Really get to know myself. Find myself, without the pressures of schoolbooks and assignments...What do you think, Liv?"

She smiled, "Well the selfish side of me is really happy you're not leaving."

"And the rational side?"

"The rational side is saying, that if you change your mind you can always reapply next year. You need to find a job, though, and quick, so that you stay out of trouble. But whatever happens, I've got your back." Olivia covered Fitz's hand that was on the table with her own, "We've got your back."

"Thanks guys. See, this is why I love you. There still remains the pesky business of the bad news, though."

"I almost forgot about that. "Lay it on us," Olivia sighed.

"My mom's in town," Harrison blurted out. "For graduation. She's going to be at the ceremony,"

A look that he couldn't read flashed across her face, but she quickly recovered. "Oh, is she really?"

"Yeah...I didn't know she was really coming, until this morning, if you can believe that. Called me when she landed. She brought that damn Patty with her, too."

Olivia nodded, "Well...it's a huge space. There's more than enough room for all of us. It shouldn't pose a problem."

Harrison smiled, "I was hoping you would say that."

"How is she?"

"Mom?" Harrison asked, surprised at her interest and she nodded. "Same old mom. You know how she can be. Just difficult and crazy, but she's my mom."

"Do you think she would want to talk? Maybe? To me?"

"I won't lie, she's a little pissed at you for not calling all this time, but I don't see why not. We should do it after the ceremony, though. I have to tell her tonight, over dinner, that I'm off the Columbia train."

Olivia chuckled, "Glad I won't be there for that. Knowing your mom, she's going to act a natural fool."

Harrison nodded, he knew he was definitely in for it.

Olivia made her way back home from dropping off Fitz at the train station in a funk. It's just a couple of days, she kept telling herself. He'll be back before I know it, she tried to convince herself, but still she missed him already. Getting to bed was going to be hell without him tonight, but luckily she had plans with Huck and Harry, so hopefully they would tire her out enough that she wouldn't have time to lay awake missing him. Olivia had just pulled into her parking spot when she heard her phone ringing with Harrison's tone.

"Hey cuz, how'd it go with your mom?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Where are you?!" Harrison practically screamed into the phone.

"Are you drunk, Harrison?"

"Drinking, not drunk. Where are you?"

"Just made it back home, I'm gonna lay down for a bit. Don't worry, we're still on for galactic bowling at midnight."

"I wanna go out, now! Huck and I are in the car, we're coming to get you!"

"Harry, really, I'm tired. I need a nap," Olivia started to make excuses.

"Are you pregnant?"

"What? No, where did that even come from?"

"So then you don't need a nap! Fitz is gone for a couple of days, so cut the Mrs. Nice Wife act, lets have some fun!"

She chuckled, "It's not an act, Harrison."

"Whatever, come on, please," he whined. "I just want to enjoy these next few days before I graduate and have to be an adult with my Ohana. Let's get drunk and act our age for once. I have an idea I know you're just gonna love."

Olivia could swear she heard Huck chuckle in the background, but ignored it. "Okay, you got it. I'm down."

"For anything?"

"Within reason."

"Don't front on me, Liv, I thought you loved me! I'm gonna ask one more time. For anything?!"

"Okay, okay," she laughed. "I'm down. For anything."

As soon as she hung up from Harrison, Fitz called and they chatted for a few minutes until she could see Huck's car pulling into the parking lot.

"I should go, babe. They're here," she told him sadly.

"Okay, have fun, but not too much fun," he joked.

"I promise I will," she teased.

"Call me when you get in the house. We'll FaceTime until you fall asleep."

"I will, but you still have to call me when you get into Amherst safely, I wanna see your face."

"I love you Livi, and I will I promise," his rich, deep voice assured her.

"I love you too, babe," she gave Harrison the single finger to indicate that'd she'd just be one more minute. "I miss you already."

"I miss you, too. Now hang up before I starting getting clingy," Fitz laughed.

"Start?" She ribbed.

"Oh wow, that hurts Liv," he chuckled.

"I was just trying to get you to hang up first."

"Not gonna happen, you hang up," Fitz insisted.

"No, you hang-," Suddenly the phone was being snatched out of her grasp and she realized Harrison had gotten out of the car.

"I'll hang up," Harrison smiled. "Hi Fitz, bye Fitz."

"You must be truly drunk if really you just did that!"

"He knows you're in good hands. We don't have all night for you guys to play cutesy. Get in damn the car!"

Olivia rolled her eyes, but hopped into the backseat nonetheless.

Eight minutes later they were pulling into a small shopping plaza off of Lakeland Avenue. Of the assortment of stores, only the twenty-four hour CVS, Friendly's restaurant, liquor store and tattoo parlor were open since it was past nine o'clock.

"Do we really need more liquor?" Olivia asked, assuming that was their destination.

"No," Harrison answered, rummaging through his center console.

"Oh, so what are you getting from CVS?"

"Nothing," Harrison answered simply and Huck just chuckled.

"Well I know we're not going to Friendly's, you just had dinner. Why are we here?"

"For a bonding experience," he smiled widely and it finally sunk in that the tattoo shop was their destination.

"What? No, I'm not getting a tattoo. I'll watch though, and hold your hand," Olivia told him resolutely.

"You said you were down for anything," Harrison reminded her.

"You did," Huck joined in. "I heard you."

"Wow, Huck, I thought we were here! You're down with this?!"

"It was kind of my idea. I want to get something covered," Huck admitted.

"No," Olivia shook her head, "no way, I haven't even,-"

"Talked it over with Fitz," Harry and Huck chorused in unison. "We know," Harrison laughed.

"That's not what I was gonna say," she lied.

"It's not a big deal, I doubt he'll even care," Harrison tried to persuade her. "If anything it'll be an exciting surprise," he wiggled his eyebrows.

"I wouldn't even know what to get,.

"They have books with pictures, you can look and see inside," Huck countered.

She grinned but still shook her head no.

"Come on, I can see it in your face, you know you want to! Live a little, be reckless, act your age for once," Harrison teased.

"To hell with it, let's do it," Olivia agreed finally, throwing caution to the wind.

It was barely after midnight when Olivia, Huck and Harrison made their way inside of the bowling alley. During the day, it was your stereotypical town bowling alley, but at night, the lights went down and it came alive. The family friendly music was exchanged for top forty hip hop and pop music with heavy beats and uncensored lyrics for the twenty-one plus crowd, and tonight it was bristling with activity as the designated spot for all of local graduating seniors to hang out, offering half priced beers and lanes if you checked in on FaceBook.

They found Harrison's friends at the end of the row, dominating four lanes between the large group of them, and Harrison immediately began ordering beers for the three of them.

Usually, Olivia would avoid the cheap, alley malt, but she wanted something to numb the dull ache of the fresh ink on her hip. After a couple of mugs, she felt good enough to start bowling and found that it was actually a lot more fun with a little alcohol. Nevertheless, she still missed Fitz and couldn't help but feel like, even among the crowds of people, something was not quite right, but she attributed it to feeling a little naked because he was so far away and not attached to her side. Olivia tried to ignore the sentiment and enjoy the moment, two days was not going to kill her. Huck was sipping his beer extremely slowly and casually peeping the scene, but he seemed relaxed, so she figured everything was as it should be and there was nothing to worry about.

Olivia had just finished rolling her first strike of the night when her phone vibrated in her back pocket.

Got a minute for FaceTime?

Always :) give me two minutes

Olivia signaled to Huck that she would be right back, since Harrison was too busy dancing in the corner with a mystery girl to pay her doings any attention. No sooner than she had stepped found a spot on the side of the building with a good enough signal, than a voice was calling her name.

"Olivia?" She turned around and saw a guy waving, walking quickly to catch up with her.

"Olivia! You're Olivia Pope, right?"

She paused. No one had addressed her by her maiden name in years. "Do I know you from someplace?" She asked tentatively as the man drew nearer. Something about him seemed familiar, and he looked round or about college aged, but she couldn't place his face.

He smiled, "Not yet...but soon, hopefully." He offered out a hand, "I'm R.J. Wilder. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Olivia crossed her arms, "I need to make a call. So to make a long conversation short, I'm not interested. Take care."

He stepped forward, "I'm not trying to flirt with you, I promise. I've actually been looking for you for a while now."

"Me, why?" She asked, taking a step back. There were people lingering nearby in the parking lot so she wasn't too worried, but crazy people often cared little about witnesses.

"This is going to sound insane, but I think you're my sister," he smiled.

Olivia side eyed him and shook her head in bemusement. "Okay, we're done here. Get lost."

"No, listen-"

"She said you're done. Get lost, bro," Huck's voice boomed and she saw him step into the light behind the man.

"Hey, look, I don't want any trouble, I just-"

"So then beat it," Huck growled, stepping in between the two of them.

R.J. tried to side step him. "Just give me one minute of your time, Olivia-" but before he could finish his sentence, Huck had pushed him onto the ground.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds,-"

Olivia put her hand on his shoulder before things vould escalate, "Huck, let's just go. Okay? This is stupid."

"Lisa Pope, isn't that your mother?" the boy interjected, clearly not finished.

Olivia paused, but showed no interest, "So what? That's public record."

"She knew my dad, Rowan Wilder, she worked on his campaign when he ran for Governor some years back. I found old letters...a copy of a will."

Huck looked at Olivia, but before she could respond, her phone was ringing. It has been over ten minutes since she had told Fitz she would call him. She grabbed Huck's arm and ignored the weird strangers on the ground's random outburst.

"I'll look into this for you, don't worry," Huck promised in a hushed whisper.

Fitz slipped into the dark, quiet house at a little after three-thirty a.m, tired but happy to be home. It had only been thirty hours since he had left, but it had felt like forever. As he slipped took of his coat, luminescent green eyes peered at him from atop the couch, and within seconds she was at his feet, weaving her body between his legs.

"Hey Chi-Chi, did you miss me?" he whispered.

She purred softly and then took off in the direction of the bedroom with Fitz following closely behind. When he finally reached the room, the television was still on, playing almost soundlessly in the background, but Olivia was fast asleep. He watched her for a moment, the soft light illuminating on her features and smiled. Instead of his usual Navy shirt, she was sleeping in one of his a-shirts, likely the one he had been wearing the morning before he left. He wondered if he should wake her, but decided against it. They would would need to be up early to get ready for Harrison's graduation, and it would behoove him to get some sleep before then.

Fitz had said his goodbyes to his conference colleagues over dinner since he would have been leaving before breakfast in the morning anyway. The last train out for the night had left before dinner was over, so initially, he had resigned to stay the extra night and get on the six a.m. train. But as he laid in his empty bed of his hotel room for the feeling of missing his Livi had overwhelmed him immensely; he missed her scent, her kiss, the feeling of her body against his as he slept. He had tossed and turned the whole first night away, falling asleep for an hour or two at a time, but little more. So he started looking into alternate forms of transportation back to the city until he finally found a viable option.

Fitz stripped down to his t-shirt and underwear and slipped into the bed behind her, pulling her backwards into his arms gently and burying his face in her neck. He kissed her shoulder and ran his hands down her sides, stopping when his fingers brushed against a small bandage on her right hip. He made a mental note to inquire about what had happened, but didn't move the bandage. He kissed his way back from her shoulder up to her ear and felt her move closer to him in her sleep, wedging herself as close to him as she possibly could. He gave her waist a light squeeze and she murmured in her sleep before suddenly turned around in his arms.

She blinked twice and put her hand on his face. "Am I dreaming?" she whispered.

He kissed her palm and wrapped her arm around his neck, "No, not dreaming. I'm home."

Olivia threw her leg over his body and pressed her mouth against his. His fingers clasped around her neck to deepen the kiss and she moaned softly onto his lips. She pulled back and looked over his shoulder at the clock.

"I thought there weren't anymore trains tonight? How'd you get back?" she asked, tracing his jaw gently.

"Greyhound," he grinned.

"Baby, you hate buses," she laughed.

He shrugged, "It was the only way. It wasn't so bad, actually, although my back hurts a little. But there was wi-fi. And now I'm here, with you."

She kissed his chin and ran her hands under his shirt, massaging small circles into his back. "You should of called me, I would've come to get you at the bus station."

"That kind of defeats the purpose of it being a surprise, honey."

She chuckled and pushed him onto his back to straddle him. "Fair enough. Just know that I'm never letting you go again," she smiled.

He kissed her wrist and the toyed with the hem of her shirt, "Take that off."

Olivia did as he requested and threw the shirt haphazardly onto the floor. "Better?"

"Much, much better," he licked his lips, admiring her form in the hazy light. She had the most beautiful breasts he had ever seen in his life. "What happened to you, babe?" he asked, fingering the small bandage on her side.

Olivia smirked and leaned over him to turn on twe bedside lamp, "Pull it back."

"Oh goodness, how worried should I be?"

"Just look," she smiled and he removed the small covering.

His mouth dropped as his eyes registered the sight, "Baby, what in the world possessed you to do that?" He was in disbelief as his eyes took in the visual of his name tattooed in a medium sized script on her hip.

"You hate it, don't you?"

"No, no, it's just,-"

"It was a woman tattoo artist, if that's what you're worried about."

He grinned, "You know me too well. It's amazing. Nice location. I'm just shocked, can I touch it?"

"Very, very gently. I always promised myself I wouldn't get a tramp stamp, but I couldn't think of a better place. Does it look okay?"

He ran his thumb over it as gently as possible, "It's beautiful. Your ass is literally mine, now."

"Has that ever been in question?"

He feigned as if he were thinking about it, "Hmmm, well-"

She slapped his chest playfully, "Oh, please."

Fitz stuck the bandageback in place quickly before flipping her over and taking control, "You are and always be mine, Livi. There's no way around that."

Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down close. "So show me."

Fitz smirked before clicking off the lamp, "You don't have to tell me twice."