Your One and Only

by anonymous1912

Olivia left with Jake and it's been a year and a half. But now she's back and determined to right her wrongs. How will Fitz take her being back? Can they overcome the biggest obstacle their relationship has faced? Read and find out. One shot.

AN: Hello, hello, hello! Please don't hate me, lol. I know its been absolutely forever since I've updated either of my stories, and believe me, I have an excellent reason; the Scandal season finale. Nuff said. Seriously though, when your muse dies, its really hard to continue to creatively write. So I decided to exorcise some demons in the form of this extremely long one shot. This is how I would love season 4 to start off. Hopefully now I can get back to Out of Nowhere and Uhuru and give them the endings the deserve. Happy reading :)

---

God only knows
Why it's taken me so long
To let my doubts go
You're the only one that I want

I don't know why I'm scared, I've been here before
Every feeling, every word, I've imagined it all,
You never know if you never try
To forgive your past and simply be mine

I dare you to let me be your, your one and only
Promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms
So come on and give me the chance
To prove that I'm the one who can
Walk that mile until the end starts

- Adele, One and Only

1 ½ years later

Sitting at his desk in the oval, Fitz could admit that he was a completely new man. The public could hardly recognize him from his coma like state a year ago. He had been in a dark place after Jerry died and Olivia left. A month and a half later, Mellie filed for a divorce, telling the public that the loss of their son was just too much for the already rocky marriage. He didn't fight it, but it didn't exactly help his political standings. The death of his son, the loss of his love, and Mellie leaving was too much for him to take and he was hitting the bottle hard. He was in a drunken stupor the vast majority of the time, the only time that he wasn't drunk was when he was asleep for the three or four hours he managed to get every night. Every other time, there was a glass tumbler in has hand filled to the brim with scotch and a few bottles lay in the very near vicinity; some empty, some full. He didn't care. He'd show up to meetings either completely hammered or would send Cyrus in his place. He would lounge around the residence all day instead of being briefed on the country's problems. He missed numerous meetings with other nations and some even threatened to pull their support. His grace grieving period had long expired by the fifth month of his wallowing. There were serious talks of impeachment and Andrew was poised and ready to take the position. Cyrus was threatening anything he could think of, but nothing mattered. Nothing but finding Olivia. He employed all of his efforts on finding her but kept coming up empty. Each time Tom told him that there was no new news, he'd drink an extra bottle. He was hopeless.

That was until Karen gave him an ultimatum.

She had been home for winter break and had seen him passed out on the floor of his bedroom. She didn't want to call for help and alert people. So she dragged him to the bathroom, not an easy task, and put him under the chilly spray of the shower. Fitz sputtered to life, yelling and cussing about being in the water. There were tears running down Karen's face before Fitz finally realized what was going on. Immediately, despite still being slightly drunk, he was regretful and full of shame. She had never seen him in this state and he hated that she had to. When he finally pulled himself together and went to check on her, she had told him exactly what was going to happen. He had to put the bottle down and get his shit together, or she would have absolutely nothing to do with him. She promised she would get Mellie on board and would make certain that he never saw Teddy ever again either. He listened.

That same day he had all of the liquor in the White House removed and made absolutely certain that the entire staff knew he was not to drink. Next order of business was to get rid of all the negative energy in his life. Which at that point, was anything to do with Olivia Pope. He immediately called off the search. He sold the house in Vermont as soon as he could. He contemplated burning it down, but decided to make a financial gain and donate the proceeds to a charity that helped runaways find a home. He thought it was fitting. Then he proceeded to erase her from his life. He got rid of any pictures he had of her or them, any articles of clothing he had stolen from her over the years, and destroyed the engagement ring he bought her when he was building the house. He got rid of the material things and also the biggest thing and the hardest thing to let go. The anger. The fact that she left with Jake at the hardest time in his life killed him. The fact that she left was enough to send him into a rage, but the fact that she left with Jake sealed the deal. He could remember crying on the seal, begging someone to find Olivia. When they finally got word and he found out that she left on Daddy's jet and she wasn't alone, he spiraled out of control. But he was in a better place now. Even though he chose to forgive her and let her go, he would never forget what she did.

But here he was a year later from that horrible place he was in, and he was feeling a million times better. He decided to reinvent himself in a way. He grew a short beard and goatee that he kept neat and trim, some gray peeking through to show his age and giving him a distinguished look. He got a new wardrobe, deciding that the generic presidential suits were boring. His wardrobe was now half dressy and half casual that boasted tons of high end cardigans and sweaters, fitted chino slacks, button down shirts in every color imaginable, double breasted suit jackets, suit vests, wing tipped shoes and loafers, and stylish fitted jeans that didn't make him look like he was trying too hard to be young again. The one poignant thing that he was missing were ties. He refused to put one on because every time he did he was reminded of Olivia. If he wasn't tieless then he wore a bow tie. Never a neck tie. He looked like he stepped off the cover of GQ every day and felt his newer, chicer style helped him connect with the people more. The ladies certainly loved him. He also wanted to take care of the inside of his body and went on a clean eating diet. He worked out, ate right, lived right and his body showed it. In short, he was in better shape than he had ever been. There was something about hitting a punching bag or biking long distances that cleared the mind.

The country had taken a drastic turn around too. He rebuilt any and all relationships that might have been damaged in his dark days and even made a few more allies. He aggressively tackled the economy, passing several laws that stopped large business from exporting jobs to China, India, and Mexico to save a couple of bucks. China wasn't too happy, but they'd be fine once America started repaying their debts in a few years. He addressed education as well, going on a fifty city college and high school tour to reach out to the younger generation. Currently he was working on immigration and crime, trying desperately to find a consensus both parties could be happy with. Though he had a rocky start, he was shaping up to be one of the best Presidents America had. Of course Cyrus was plenty pleased, though he made it known he thought Fitz should shave the beard and dress more work appropriately.

He was finally happy. He could get a full nights rest without being plagued by thoughts of Gerry's dead body in his arms. He could breathe without smelling Olivia in the air. He could look at his daughter and see that she was finally proud of him. Even he and Mellie had become friends. She still accompanied him to certain events and the public seemed to like they could remain civil. Mellie and Andrew had been secretly dating since before the divorce was final and Fitz truly didn't mind. In fact, the pair was thinking of going public within the next few months with Fitz's blessing. He was happy. He was happy. He. Was. Happy. But even though he fought to move on from her, he knew without a doubt that he would love her until the day he died. And he was okay with that. He knew that they could never be together again and he found a way to cope with that.

A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. "Come in Lauren," Fitz called out.

"Hey Fitz," Lauren said, peeking her head around the door. They had established a friendship of sorts and he insisted she call him by his first name. "Your six o'clock is here."

A smile lifted at the corners of his lips. "Good, send her in," Fitz told her, getting up and moving around the desk.

The door opened wider and in walked the beautiful woman he was seeing. Amelia Everstein was a senator in Maryland that he met during his fifty city tour. She was a lovely woman five years his junior with strawberry blond hair, green eyes, a healthy body, and a very caring personality. They had been dating for four months now, and had recently been seen out together emerging from one of D.C's finest restaurants. Just like everything, some of the public was against him dating, but the majority seemed to be okay with it and his high ratings stayed the same. Since Maryland wasn't too far, she would often come and see him since his schedule wasn't as flexible. They ate lunch, talked, watched movies, or just simply sat together. The only thing off limits was politics. Two diehard politicians not talking the job was hard, but it was a must for Fitz. He needed to draw lines that his previous relationships didn't have. Amelia agreed and they got along just fine.

"Hey honey," Amelia greeted, giving Fitz a hug and a kiss when she was near enough. Her smile was bright and it made Fitz smile in return.

"I'm happy you came today. I'll be finished here in a few more minutes. You can either hang out here or I'll meet you up in the residence," Fitz offered, not sure if she wanted to wait for him or not.

"I'll go to the residence and set dinner on the table. I bought us some salmon and wild rice from that restaurant you love," she told him and Fitz was touched that she did that.

"Sounds great, I'll be up as soon I can." Fitz kissed her on the cheek then sent her on her way.

He went back around his desk and went to look over the last of his speech he was about to make on immigration. He had written it himself and felt that it was pretty good, but felt that it could be better. He went over it again and again and tried to think of what it was missing. He knew that he needed another set of eyes and couldn't help remember his time in Camp David with Olivia. The way they wrote that speech on the very same topic…well…it wouldn't do him any good to venture down memory lane. For some reason he had been thinking of her a lot lately. He would randomly get a memory of a good time they had, she would appear in his dreams, or he would see something that would make him pause and think of her. He thought he was long past that, thought that he had moved on with Amelia despite his feelings for Olivia, but he was beginning to rethink that.

Before he could think on the topic any further, the phone rang. Thinking it was Amelia, he answered the phone, "Hey sweetheart, I'll be there in a couple of minutes. I'm finishing up now."

"Fitz, it's me," Cyrus grumbled on the other line. Apparently he wasn't too keen on being called sweetheart.

"Oh, sorry Cy. Thought you were Amelia. What's up?" Fitz asked, saving his speech and turning off his iPad.

"I just called to give you a head's up. Uh…Olivia Pope is back in town. Has been for the past two weeks or so," Cyrus said, the words tumbling from his mouth so fast Fitz thought he might have misheard him.

"Olivia is back…" Fitz let the words hang in the air for a while before he could process the information. Olivia was back, had been for two weeks and didn't say anything to anyone. Not that he expected a call to begin with.

"I just found out today. I was in the park with Ella and saw Olivia there. Fitz, she wasn't alone. She had a child with her, a little boy that looked to be about a year old. That means she was pregnant when she left. The kid was obviously biracial, but that could mean that Jake is the father. I just thought you should know," Cyrus exhaled, sounding like shook a ten pound weight off his shoulders. "I don't think she saw me, but I can't be too certain."

Fitz hadn't heard anything after little boy. "Thanks Cy," he mumbled into the phone and let it drop.

Before he could even fully grasp the news that he may or may not be a father, he could hear a commotion going on outside the door.

"You can't go in there, he doesn't want to see you!" He could hear Lauren yelling.

"Well that's too damn bad Lauren because I need to see him," he heard her voice reply before the door opened.

There she was. The love of his life. The woman that broke his heart. His worst enemy and his best friend. Olivia Pope. Fitz had to admit she looked great. Her hair was in soft waves instead of the straight look he had remembered. Her hips were a little fuller and she was a little thicker, no doubt from the baby, but she carried it extraordinarily well. She was wearing a forest green sweater, black leggings, and flat leather knee high boots. Apparently she was also taking a break from power suits. Even without the heels and blazer, she still commanded the room and was unable to look anywhere but directly at her.

"Ms. Pope, what are you doing here?" Fitz asked coldly, not wanting her to think he was the same man that she left.

"I need to talk to you about our son," she said calmly, then went and took a seat on the couch.

---

Olivia Pope was trying her damndest to appear unfazed, but on the inside her stomach was doing backflips and her heart was beating fast in her chest. She didn't know how Fitz would react to seeing her again nor was she prepared to see him again. He was gorgeous. The beard suited him well and the dark blue fisherman's collar shawl sweater he was wearing wrapped around his torso in the sexiest of ways. His fitted black slacks and loafers topped of the casual look, but there was enough sophistication to still make him look like a man in charge. Their time apart had served him well apparently and she was happy for that. That just seemed to justify her leaving and she took the flourishing country and his obviously changed demeanor as her doing the right thing. If only she could truly believe that.

When she got on the plane with Jake, she didn't know what the future held. She was always one for planning and knowing what tomorrow and the next day was going to hold. But as soon as the plane took off, her future was out of her hands and left in the hands of her father. She could still kick herself for that. She shouldn't have run to daddy like she was a five year old. She was a grown woman and should've handled her problems as such. Instead she fled with a man she didn't love, to a place she didn't know, and with a baby growing in her belly that she had no clue about. She was more a mess than she had ever been in her entire life and she hoped the fresh start would turn things around.

When the plane landed, Olivia had no clue where they were. They were not done with their journey, however, and a boat took them to their final destination. Turns out they were on a small island off the coast of France. The sleepy little inhabitance went at an extremely slow pace and news generally never made it to them. It was the perfect place to stash her. No one would know who she was and unless she actively tried, there would be no way to keep up with Fitz and his presidency. That's why she was so shocked to find out that not only was he divorced, but that the country had survived it and was it and him was thriving in the aftermath.

When she was on the island, no outside influences seemed to matter. It was just her, Jake, the small amount of people that lived there, and pretty soon, her little boy. The first few weeks after they arrived, she hadn't been feeling well. She just thought that she was overly stressed about Fitz, but when it persisted, she went and saw the only doctor on the island. Her French was a little rusty, so she was quite certain that she misunderstood him when he said pregnant. But then he said it English, showed her the test, and proceeded to do an ultrasound to prove that she was in fact with child. Not only was she pregnant, but she was around three months along. When she left the office, she just sat right outside of it and cried. She had no idea what she was going to do. She had no idea if Fitz or Jake was the father, but was leaning towards the latter because he was the last person she slept with. She looked back on how she could've missed the signs. She had missed her period, but had barely noticed and attributed it to stress. A couple of her pants and shirt didn't fit right, but she didn't really think anything of it. Her mind was too busy focused on other things.

Pregnant. And likely with Jake's baby.

She didn't know how to feel about that. She had never considered a lifelong relationship with him. She never once pictured the kids and the house life with him like she did with Fitz. Sure she had feelings for him, but it wasn't love. She wasn't even sure of her decision to bring him along, but now she was facing a lifetime of being with him. She decided right then that she'd be whole for her baby and she'd try to make things work with its father. She owed her child a life that she didn't have because she knew firsthand just how detrimental it was. She was scared shitless to be a parent. Though she dreamed about it, she never thought it would happen. She didn't know the first clue about being a mother. But she would gladly learn for the little being growing within her. When she got home that night and told Jake the news, he was elated. He admitted that he hadn't considered kids and wasn't exactly mentally ready, but shared that the prospect of her being the mother of his children made him happy. Olivia was relieved that he felt that way, but wasn't as happy that he was the father.

As the months progressed, Olivia took drastic measures to fix her life. She read books on the meaning of life, books on how to live a happy and normal life. They weren't self- help books, but rather texts written by the spiritual leaders of her generation. She started meditating and doing yoga. She went on long walks and bike rides around the island and took time to get to know her fellow inhabitants. She took up painting as well, finding that something about the stroke of the brush soothed her. She had dozens of paintings by the time the baby came and she realized that she found herself. She was able to truly be introspective and put into perspective what was and wasn't her fault. She cleansed herself of the sins of those around her and forgave herself for her wrong doings. She forgave Fitz for leading her on all those years, but mostly she forgave herself for sacrificing so much for him. She still loved him, that was never going away, but she also recognized their time had probably passed.

While she was getting better, Jake seemed to stay the same. He was always on edge and would disappear for days at a time. When Olivia asked where he went, he would say that he went to France to feel sane for a little bit. He said that the island was too small for him and that he was feeling like he was missing out by being there. When he was at home, he was absent mentally. Though he went to all the appointments concerning the baby, he would space out when she asked him specific questions about their impending parenthood. She tried to get him to come along on her bike rides or walks, even bought him his own paint sets, but he wasn't interested. She was doing everything to stand in the sun with him, but about five months in, she realized that some people were made for the dark. Jake was one of those guys. It wasn't his fault, he just wasn't wired to be domestic.

When the baby came, it was the greatest experience of Olivia's life. Jake held her hand as she pushed her little boy into the world. Maxton Samuel Pope was her entire world. Jake was pissed that he didn't have his last name, but Olivia didn't care. He was her baby and would carry her name. He would also carry some of her past with him. When she and Fitz talked about babies, he had mentioned that he loved the name Samuel. She wasn't too crazy about it so she promised if they had a son, his middle name could be Samuel. Something in her told her to keep her promise, even if she thought the baby was Jake's.

While her baby was beautiful, he didn't resemble anyone. That's common with infants, but as he grew older, Max looked like himself. Some days Olivia swore he had Jake's nose, others she thought that he had Fitz's mouth and ears. Other times she thought he favored her. She really had no clue. His beige complexion, brown curly hair, and light hazel eyes were all his own. He was by far the cutest little being she had ever seen, though she might be a little biased. As he grew older, Jake took less and less of an interest in him. He was still leaving days at a time, never once changed a diaper, and rarely interacted with the infant. Often times it was just Olivia and the baby. Though she had talked to a few of her neighbors, she didn't let anyone to close for fear of them finding out who she was. It was during those lonely times she missed Fitz the most. She wondered how he was doing, what he was doing, who he was doing. She thought about him constantly as Max got older and started displaying personality traits that could only be described as Fitz-like. Her little boy had the same goofy smile and loving attitude. He was determined, but was shy to venture outside of his comfort zone. He would get a look on his face when he was thinking that was so Fitz, it would take Olivia's breath away. Then it would disappear and he would do something that vaguely reminded her of Jake. But deep down, she knew who the father was.

She didn't want to admit though. She wanted to live in ignorant bliss as long as she could. She didn't want her son to be thrust into the dysfunction that was the White House. At the time, she had no clue that Fitz had divorced Mellie and turned his life around. She was under the assumption that everything was the same and didn't want Max exposed to that. Essentially, he was all she had and she loved him too much to screw him up the way her parents had done her. So she sheltered him and herself from Fitz and prayed she was doing the right thing. But then her bubble burst and she couldn't live in her little fantasy world anymore.

She was going on her daily bike ride with Max in a little baby carrier attached to the back when another biker came barreling down a hill. The biker had lost control and was headed straight for them at full speed. He tried to swerve, but it was too late and he ran right into her son. The carrier took the brunt of the force, but the pressure was too much and it snapped and folded underneath the man and his bicycle. The bike had made contact with Max's body in a brutal way and he had deep gashes on torso and head. Olivia ran him to the clinic where they tried to stop the bleeding while a helicopter came to airlift him to France for better care. By the time the helicopter came, Jake was there and they were airlifted to the nearest hospital. Once there, they learned that he would need a blood transfusion to replace the blood he lost. Olivia didn't want him to have a stranger's blood and offered her own. But she wasn't a match. And neither was Jake. That could only mean one thing.

Fitz was the father.

Inside, a part of her was secretly happy, rejoicing that she didn't have to deal with Jake any more. But another part of her realized her son might grow up without a father. Upon learning he wasn't the dad, Jake left. He said that Max was the only thing keeping him there since Olivia still hadn't learned to love him and admitted that he couldn't do it anymore. There was no love lost on her part. Now Olivia had a big decision to make. Initially, Olivia went back to the island and pretended as if nothing changed. But as the weeks wore on, her conscience was starting to take over. And when Max said dada for the first time, a word she had no clue how he learned, she made her decision. She needed to give her son the life she didn't have and that included having a father and a mother. Deep down she knew Fitz would do the right thing and she was counting on that. Within the next few days, she was packed up and on a plane heading for D.C.

Once there, she got in contact with Abby to explain what she had been up to for the last year and a half. Abby seemed a little standoffish and still pissed that she left, but also happy that she was back. After Olivia filled her in and introduced her to Max, Abby then filled Olivia in on what she missed. She learned that Abby and David got married, that Huck entered into some serious therapy and was trying to make it work with his family. Quinn moved somewhere with Charlie, and Harrison went to New York. She also told Olivia about Fitz. Told her how well he was doing without her and that he was dating someone else. It hurt, but she couldn't expect him to wait for her forever.

It took her some time to get settled and find a place, but as soon as she was ready, Olivia set out to contact Fitz. It was easier said than done. She of course was not allowed in the White House and no one was willing to help her. She treaded lightly because she didn't want to tip off Fitz or her father that she back, but she needed to speak with him face to face. She bided her time for a few days until finally she was able to get in contact with Hal. Something about Tom rubbed her the wrong way, so she figured Hal was the better way to go. It took quite some convincing and a hefty sum of money, but he agreed to get her in. And now here she was, sitting across from the love of her life and her baby's father about to tell him about his child.

---

"Our son?" Fitz said the words aloud, the syllables falling from his tongue so easily.

"I know that I have a lot of explaining to do, but I felt like I had to tell you we had a child before anyone else did," she told him.

Fitz let out a short bark of a laugh. "You're about two minutes too late. Cyrus saw you today in the park. He did some digging and found out that you've been here for two weeks. You've been here for two weeks and didn't say one word about my child!" Fitz could feel himself getting angry.

"I was getting settled in and I had a hard time getting in contact with you. It's not as if you work at Walmart," Olivia defended.

"And what's your excuse for the last year and a half? Couldn't get in contact with me? Is that why you left with my child and Jake?" Fitz seethed. He was not going to let her off the hook.

"I didn't know I was pregnant. And as far as Jake…"

"What's my son's name?" Fitz asked, cutting her off before she could get into the gory details of her love life.

"Maxton Samuel Pope," Olivia watched his features soften at the sound of his name. "I call him Max for short."

"When is his birthday?" Fitz asked the next logical question in a long list of inquiries.

"It was a few weeks ago on the eleventh," she told him and could see that he was upset about missing it.

"Do you have a picture?" He asked and knew she would.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled to the picture section. She handed it to him and he looked at the phone as if he was viewing the secret to life. He thumbed through picture after picture of his child ranging from birth to now. He was absolutely gorgeous. There were certain features that he had from him and certain features that he had from Olivia but he didn't look like anyone in particular. He was himself and he was beautiful. There were tons of pictures with him cuddled up next to Olivia, some with them making silly faces, some where he was asleep, and others where they were smiling ear to ear.

"I didn't know he was yours until recently. I really thought he could've been Jake's," Olivia said as Fitz continued to stare down at the phone.

He looked up briefly and Olivia could see tears in his eyes. If she hadn't felt bad before, she did now. "Supposing that I believe that, you just completely forgot that DNA existed until it was convenient for you to remember?"

"No. I specifically didn't get him tested. Look how I left things. It was complete chaos here. I didn't want him around that, I didn't want him to end up like Ger…"Olivia cut off her sentence before she could say anything else.

"You didn't want him to end up like Gerry? Well don't you think he would've been safer with me considering it was you and your father that killed Gerry," Fitz spat out. He was trying to hurt her and he did it by placing blame.

You and your father. You and you and you was all Olivia heard. She hated herself for Gerry's death and spent months recovering from it. She wouldn't let him drag her back down because she was pissed. Instead of being put down, Olivia got up. "Look, I just came to tell you about Max."

"Sit down."

"I'm not going to let you…"

"SIT DOWN, OLIVIA!" Fitz bellowed, his patience long gone by now.

She scowled at him and cursed under her breath before doing as he said. When she was seated she looked at him with fire in her eyes and dared him to speak. He saw the look and took her dare. "I want to see my son. Tonight. Where is he?"

"He's with Abby," she spoke through clenched teeth.

"Who the hell is Abby?" Fitz asked, seriously confused.

"Seriously? You met her like five times. She came to the White House in my place." At his still confused look, she sighed and said, "Gabby."

"Oh. Well why didn't you just say that. Give me her address and I'll have Hal go get him and he'll spend the night here. You can get him in the morning depending on how I feel. You're dismissed," he said coldly and tossed her phone on the couch cushion next to her.

"Ha," Olivia scoffed, thinking this man must have lost his goddamn mind. "I don't know what you thought was going happen, but I'm not going to just leave my son with you."

"I'm his father," Fitz countered.

"You're a stranger," Olivia huffed, seeing that this was getting nowhere.

"And whose fault is that? Because it's certainly not mine. I'm not losing another son because of you," Fitz said angrily.

Olivia took a deep breath and tried really hard to control her temper. "You will not continue to blame me for Gerry's death."

Fitz didn't speak for long moments and they just stared at each other. There were so many emotions between them, anger and love duking it out for the strongest feeling. Finally he spoke. "You're right and I'm sorry. Your father is solely responsible for my son's death and it isn't fair of me to keep bringing it up. It's just, I'm so mad at you right now. I thought I got over you leaving, and you show up with my son and I…"

Olivia noted that he kept saying her father, but that wasn't important right now. She'd think about that later. Instead, she focused on Fitz. He had buried his face in his hands and released a deep sob. He thought that he was okay, but the dam broke and he was teetering on the edge of going back to his dark place. Just from one conversation. He didn't know how he was supposed to survive the next seventeen years plus he'd have to deal with Olivia.

"I'm so sorry, Fitz," Olivia whispered and Fitz realized she was closer than he thought. She was kneeling on her knees in front of him, almost begging for his forgiveness. "You have to understand. I thought I was toxic, that I was the problem. Everything kept pointing back to me. I didn't want to hurt you anymore, I didn't want to hurt me anymore. I needed to get away for a little while to be sane. I swear I didn't know I was pregnant."

"And Jake?" Fitz asked with a humorless chuckle.

"I thought I could save him. I couldn't have you. I couldn't save you and I didn't want to be completely alone. It wasn't the best choice and I learned that the hard way," she told him and saw that it was killing him that she was with Jake. "I don't love him. I only love one person and you know that."

"Do I? Look, it doesn't matter anyways. I've moved on," Fitz said and pushed her away.

Olivia took the cue and got up and returned to her seat. When she had her back turned to him for those few brief seconds, she wiped away a few stray tears then put her poker face back on. "Yeah, I heard that you were dating," Olivia responded, praying that she didn't sound jealous.

"I don't want to talk about it," Fitz said calmly.

"So why did you bring it up? Just to hurt me? To get a quick jab in, to get the upper hand?" Olivia asked.

"I think I deserve to flaunt my relationship a little bit considering that bullshit you pulled with Jake for fucking two and a half years. Oh and let's not even bring up Edison," Fitz spat.

"Yeah, because you weren't married and shoving your marriage in my face our entire relationship," Olivia retorted.

"I was not screwing Mellie. I did not have feelings for Mellie. My relationship with Mellie was not real so don't try and use that as an excuse," Fitz said, even knowing that she had every right to be with whoever she wanted.

"You were married! Real or not, I was your mistress and no matter how many times you say otherwise, nothing is going to change that." Olivia let the words sink in and took a few calming breaths. "This is getting nowhere. I'll call you and set up a time to visit Max," Olivia said, picking up her phone and purse once again.

"No. I want to see him tonight. I'll go with you to Abby's and then we can go to your place. I'll just stay until he falls asleep," Fitz told her, already standing and heading to his desk.

Olivia grit her teeth and nodded her head. She should've known she wouldn't be able to keep him away. She listened as he talked to someone on the phone, presumably his girlfriend, and impatiently waited for him to finish. Olivia could feel herself growing jealous as he talked to her in a tone that he used to reserve just for her. It turned her belly when he promised he'd be in later that night and to wait up for him. She had an errant thought to make sure that he didn't come back that night, but it quickly left. She would not be that girl again. She and Fitz were over and she'd just have to accept that. If only her heart could get on board.

On the way to Abby's, Fitz peppered her with questions about Max. He asked about his favorite food, colors, toys, activities, what he was like as a baby and how he's changed until now. He asked all he could think of because when he met his child for the first time, he didn't want to feel like a stranger. He wanted to know him, wanted to know what to do for him if he started crying. Wanted to know what made him laugh or smile. Olivia answered his questions as fast as he was asking them and she was happy that he was taking an interest. She always knew he would, but there was a little seed of doubt that stopped her from pursing a paternity test. She thought Jake was the safe route. She was wrong and she could see that clearly now.

When they arrived, Olivia got out the car that was being chauffeured by Hal, and proceeded to head to Abby and David's apartment. Fitz got out of the car as well, taking Olivia by surprise. She figured he'd wait there while she retrieved their son. He gave her a look that said don't question him. She rolled her eyes but didn't say a word as she led him to their place. The elevator ride was tense and she could tell Fitz was nervous. She wanted to allay his fears that their son wouldn't love him.

"He knows who you are," she said quietly as they slowly climbed to the top floor.

"Huh? He knows me?" He asked, clearly taken by surprise.

"I've been showing him your picture for the past few weeks and I've told him who you are to him. I think that he understands. He points to the picture and says dada. He's really smart. I don't know if he'll make the connection when he sees you in person though…I just thought you should know," Olivia finished in a near whisper.

Fitz was quiet for a moment, but he whispered a "thank you," that was so sincere it nearly brought her to tears.

When they finally made it to the apartment, Fitz was nearly shaking as he waited for Abby to open the door. When she finally swung it open, on her hip was Maxton. He smiled a dimpled smile as soon as he saw his mother and reached for her. Olivia smiled and cooed to him as she took him from Abby. She asked him questions about their time apart and he answered back in baby gibber. Fitz watched the whole seen, totally entranced but also feeling slightly like an outsider.

"Mr. President," Abby greeted without disdain. She actually seemed kinda happy to see him.

"Ga…I mean Abby. How've you been?" Fitz asked kindly.

"Great. Can I say that you've been doing a great job with the country. And that beard…it's sexy as hell." Abby had never been one to hold her tongue.

Fitz chuckled lightly. "Thank you. All the ladies seem to love it. And thank you for your support in my presidency, now and in the past."

"No problem, Mr. President," Abby practically purred, giving him come hither eyes.

"Please, call me Fitz," Fitz replayed, playfully flirting back.

Even though she knew they were joking, it still annoyed Olivia that he could be this open and light with Abby and not with her. "Abby, isn't David home?" Olivia cut in.

"Blocker," Abby mumbled under her breath and let them inside. Olivia gave her a side eye as she passed and Abby stuck her tongue out at her.

"Fitz," Olivia said softly once they were all inside and the door was shut, "this is your son Max. Maxy, this is your daddy." The end of her sentence was filled with emotion as she tried to hold back her tears.

The two boys just stared at each other while Max tried to gauge whether or not he liked the man. He looked to Fitz, then looked back at Olivia, then Fitz again, then back to Olivia. "Dada?" he questioned as if he didn't believe her. Olivia just nodded her head.

Max seemed to take her word for it, but he cuddled closer to Olivia when Fitz reached for him showing that he wasn't exactly too keen on the idea of being held by his father. He never really had a male influence so he didn't know how to react. Jake was in and out and it was mainly just him and his mother. No wonder he was shy. "Just give him some time, Fitz. He'll warm up to you," Olivia said, trying to console him.

Fitz looked a little sad but accepted what she was saying. They stayed at Abby's only for a few more minutes so that Olivia could learn what Max had done in her absence. When Abby finished telling her, Fitz grabbed his son's car seat and followed Olivia out. The whole time they were walking, Max was peeking over his mother's shoulder to look at his father. Fitz made silly faces, smiled, and waved at the little boy. He got a couple of smiles, but mainly just curious looks. Fitz made a particularly funny face that had made his other children laugh hysterically and it worked like a charm for Max. The little boy threw is head back and cracked up. Fitz almost cried at the sound. This is what he wanted for so long, to have a child with the woman he loved and now it was happening. Olivia looked back to see what caused the giggle fest and she had to laugh herself at the face Fitz was making.

When they made it to the car, Fitz carefully buckled in the carseat, tugging and pulling on the seatbelt to make sure it was secure enough. Olivia handed him Max to buckle in and Fitz just took a minute to hold his son for the first time. He kissed his hair and squeezed him tight. Max laid his head on Fitz's shoulder and wrapped his little arms around his neck. Fitz could feel tears fall down his face and he tried hard not to completely break down. He was tempted to hold onto him, but safety came first and he reluctantly strapped his son in. Soon they were heading down the D.C streets towards Olivia's apartment. The car was silent, but neither seemed to mind.

They arrived after not too long at a modern townhouse. Olivia got out and started walking towards the front door leaving Fitz to gather Max. He had no problem with that and carried his now sleeping son to the house. The inside was so much different than her previous apartment, but just as equally tasteful. There were vibrant colors on the walls, patterns on the furniture, and beautiful paintings on the wall that all had OCP on the bottom right corner.

"You paint now?" Fitz asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah, I found it to be very therapeutic," she answered back.

"These are very good," he said as he stopped to admire one of a setting sun.

"You're not just saying that are you?" she questioned a little nervously. No one besides Max had seen her paintings. Jake was too distant to care and Olivia didn't want to put her work out for the townspeople to see. So she kept them mainly to herself.

"They're amazing," Fitz said and she could tell that he meant it.

A slight smile touched Olivia's lips and she hoped they could remain cordial like this for the rest of his visit. Since it was nearing Max's bedtime and Abby had already fed and bathed him, Olivia decided to go ahead and put him down for the night. "Follow me to his bedroom so that you can put him to bed."

Fitz nodded his agreement and followed Olivia upstairs. He couldn't help put to notice the sway of her hips and the way she walked with such confidence. He could admit that he missed her, but he wasn't sure on what level. As his best friend or as the love of life. Those two things went hand in hand so he supposed he missed both. But they had tried, and tried hard, and it didn't work. He had Amelia, and as gorgeous as Olivia was, she'd have a new man in no time. They'd just be co-parents and eventually friends. Somehow Fitz knew that he wouldn't be satisfied with that.

They reached Max's room and it was done in a jungle theme. There was an incomplete mural of the rainforest on one wall that he assumed Olivia was painting. The rest of the walls were a beige that had pictures of various animals on it. It was very tastefully done and Fitz was excited to add to the room with various stuffed animals and toys. Instead of a crib, Max had a 'big boy' bed that had guard rails up so he wouldn't roll off. Fitz laid him down gently and pulled up his tiger blanket up to his chest. He kissed him on the forehead and promised to be the best father he could be. When he stepped back, Olivia kissed her son and smoothed his hair back. She turned on the baby monitor and night light and Fitz followed her out. They went back downstairs and five minutes later, they were on the couch with a glass of wine for Olivia, cranberry juice for Fitz, and a big bowl of popcorn between them.

"Not drinking anymore?" Olivia asked, rather surprised when he turned down the alcohol.

"Uh, no. I promised Karen I wouldn't. I was um, not in a good place when you left and Gerry died," Fitz admitted, his head hanging low in his shame.

Olivia didn't know that he had had a hard time. The man in front of her now was thriving. She should've known that he wasn't always this way. Her heart broke at what he had to go through and, not for the first time, she regretted her decision of leaving. "I'm sorry," she whispered, not knowing what else to say.

"So tell me about your time away? Was it helpful? Are you sane?" There was no animosity in his tone and Olivia figured that he was genuinely curious.

Olivia told him about her time away and he listened intently. She was careful to leave out anything about Jake. When she got to the birth of their son, he leaned in closer so that he could absorb every detail. She took him through all of Max's milestones and the little things that only parents could appreciate. She told him about the accident and he looked like he wanted to kill whoever it was that hit them. Olivia realized that she missed having someone listen to her like her words were the most important thing. Missed having someone she knew would always be there for her. She just missed him period…so much. She tried, really she did. She tried to move on, to tell herself that she could live without him. She tried so hard. But nothing worked. She loved him and that was that.

When she was done, Fitz told her about what he had been up to the past year and a half. She listened in horror as he told her about the day Karen caught him passed out. She listened about Mellie and Andrew and was glad that they had a chance at love. She was in awe at what he was able to accomplish as President and she added that she always knew he would be great. He didn't go into detail about Amelia, only that she was a senator that he'd met, and she was grateful for that. Still, Olivia couldn't help but ask, "Do you love her?"

Fitz took a deep breath. He wanted the answer to be yes because he knew exactly what was going to happen once he told the truth. "No."

"Fitz, I need to know now if you still love me," Olivia said boldly. She wasn't going to beat around the bush anymore. From the moment she was in his presence again, her heart had been beating overtime. She was reminded of why she fell in love with him in the first place, why she would always love him. She wanted him back and she needed to know if he felt the same way.

"Does it matter?"

"It matters. It's a yes or no question. Do you…still love me?"

Fitz was nodding his head before he even said a word. "I do, but what's the point?"

"We…we're never going to be fully happy apart," Olivia murmured, coming to the realization at the same time the words passed her lips.

"But we were never fully happy together now were we," Fitz replied, getting up.

"And you know why. But you're not married anymore and we could have an actual chance," Olivia voiced, hoping that she didn't sound too desperate but not caring anymore at this point.

"I'm with Amelia and I just can't…I can't get past the fact that you left with Jake," Fitz answered, half way to the door.

Olivia got up and followed him. She wasn't just going to let him run away, wasn't going to let herself run away, from their feelings anymore. She loved him, he loved her, and for the first time in their relationship, he wasn't married. At the door, he turned to say goodbye to her and that's when she made her move. Grabbing onto his cardigan, she pulled him down to her level and crushed her lips to his. Immediately she moaned, having not felt his mouth on hers in so long. She was so lost at the feel of him that it took her a few moments to realize he wasn't responding. His hands were at his side and he stood there stoically waiting for her to finish. She pulled back slightly and noticed his eyes were open. Try as he might to not be affected, she could still see the haze of desire swimming in his gray irises. She went back in, nipping and sucking at his bottom lip until his mouth opened. She pushed her tongue in and whimpered at the taste of him. She breathed his name into his mouth and finally he kissed her back. He wrapped her up in his embrace held her closer. His tongue glided against hers in the most erotic of ways and she could feel him pressing against her belly. Her thighs were quivering and her knees threatened to give out as he gripped her ass. He picked her up and guided them to the couch, sitting with her straddling his lap. Olivia grinded into his erection as his hand traveled up her torso to cup her breast. She couldn't believe this was happening, that she was here with him like this. She had only allowed herself to think of him at certain times, but her memory couldn't compare. She reached for his belt buckle, needing to feel him inside of her. She had just got the buckle undone when she felt his hands cover hers and push them away.

"We can't…I can't…not again," Fitz puffed between breaths.

Olivia could tell that he was only half meant what he said. She could see the way his eyes darkened to a stormy gray, how his chest was rising and falling, and could certainly feel how much he wanted to her. She leaned back in for another kiss. Fitz obliged her for some long moments, attacking her lips in a way that made Olivia think she won. But the he pulled away again.

"Olivia…"Fitz said seriously and Olivia took the hint.

Feeling humiliated at her display, Olivia climbed off his lap and hid her face in her hands. She promised herself that when she went back to D.C that she wouldn't do this. That she wouldn't fall back into old patterns. But here she was and all it took was a few hours. Fitz was totally different and yet the same and she didn't know how to handle that. She knew that he loved her, but no longer felt that he believed in them, believed in her. She supposed that was her fault, that she had stretched his patience to the brink until it finally snapped. Now she just had to figure out if she could stitch them back together.

"I should go," Fitz said after some quiet moments. "I want to see Max tomorrow. I'll have Lauren send you over a copy of my schedule along with my personal number so that we can set things up."

Olivia nodded her head, still not able to look at him. Instead she stared straight at the ground and listened as his footsteps neared the door. When she heard it open, she waited for the telltale sign that he had left, but it hadn't come. Breathing in courage, she looked at him and asked a question that had been in her mind for a while. "Vermont?"

A look she couldn't distinguish passed in his eyes and she got a sinking feeling in her gut. She knew what he was going to say before he said it. "I sold it."

And with that, he was out the door and she was alone. A tear threatened to fall but she wouldn't let it, wouldn't let herself go back to the place that mourned their relationship. She and Fitz would be forever connected by Max. While she wasn't going to use that as a means to get back into his good graces, she was going to use their son as motivation to make them work, to get back to Vermont.

---

"I have a son," Fitz said as he sat down to his reheated dinner at the residence.

Amelia had waited up for him like he'd instructed and she had been more than curious about what had taken him so long. Fitz contemplated on the way back to the White House exactly what he was going to communicate to Amelia. He didn't know if he should tell her about Max and Olivia. Being in politics, Amelia of course knew of Olivia and knew that the public had accused once her of sleeping with the president. However, she and Fitz had never addressed it and he wasn't sure what to do. In the end, since he knew Max was going to be a permanent fixture in his life, he decided to be honest. He wasn't going to make Max feel unwanted or unloved. He was going to be open about his son to both Amelia, and when the time was right, the public.

"What?" Amelia asked after taking some time to adjust.

"That's what was taking so long. Tonight I found out I have another son. His name is Max."

"With who… that girl that described your penis as a baguette? What was her name? Jeanine something…Locke?" Amelia scrambled, having trouble getting her thoughts together.

"No. Jeanine was just a cover, I never slept with her," Fitz said, knowing that she'd piece it together on her own.

"A cover for who? For Oli…for Olivia Pope? I mean, that's who was in the media right before Jeanine, she even took on her case. They had footage of you leaving her apartment early in the morning and you both claimed you were just friends. You were sleeping with her the entire time," Amelia put together.

"We were in love," Fitz admitted, the word 'were' a complete lie that burned the tip of his tongue on its way out. "She went away a year and a half ago and she showed up today out of the blue saying that I was the father of her child."

"And you just believed her? She could be lying. Wasn't she seeing that guy? Josh…James…?" Amelia guessed, thinking back on seeing Olivia in a couple of magazines with another man.

"Jake…" Fitz's voice was filled with much disdain. "She was seeing Jake, and no he isn't the father. I am. I want to be honest with you, Max and Olivia are going to be a part of my life and I'm not going to hide like I did in the past."

"So what does this mean for us? Do you still love her?" Amelia asked, her question completely logical.

"I do." He thought about lying for a split second, but knew that she'd see right through it.

"And do you want to be with her?" Amelia's tone was hardening and Fitz could tell she was irritated and hurt.

"I don't know," Fitz said the only answer he could give.

"What do you mean you don't know? It's a yes or no question? Do you or don't you want to be with her? I won't be Mellie, Fitz. I won't let you cheat on me with her just so that I could have a title. I won't be second. And even if you didn't want to be with her, I would still be second because you love her."

"I don't know what you want me to say," Fitz breathed, feeling bad for hurting her.

"I want you to say that nothing has changed between us. I want you to say that Olivia Pope won't be a problem in our lives. I want you to guarantee me that you won't have sex with her while we're together. I want…I want you to tell me you love me as much as I love you," Amelia spoke through her tears. "But you can't, can you?"

"She left with another man, my worst enemy, when I needed her the most. She left with my child and didn't think to come back for a year and a half. Do I love her? Yes. But I also can barely stand to be around her when all I can see is her with him. I don't know if I can get past that," Fitz told her.

"And you want me to what? Wait for you? Be your plan B while you figure out your feelings towards her. You can't ask me to do that, Fitz. I wouldn't even if you did," Amelia sighed, wiped out by the conversation and turn of the day.

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose you, but I also can't sit here and lie to you. I am in love with Olivia Pope. I can admit that. But I have enjoyed every moment of our time together. You're fun, and smart, and easy, and beautiful, and everything that is right for me," Fitz said honestly.

"But I'm not her," Amelia voiced what they both knew.

"No."

"Was I just a distraction? Something to occupy your time and keep your thoughts from her? I knew there was something that was holding you back but I never imagined this is what it was." Amelia knew it was over and just wanted some questions answered at this point.

"No, you are so much more than that," Fitz said sincerely.

"Can I meet her? I want to meet the woman that has been keeping me from having all of you," Amelia requested.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Fitz responded.

"It wasn't exactly a question. In exchange for me not calling the press right now and exposing you and Ms. Pope's love child, I want to meet her."

Fitz took a deep breath in, surprised at this side of her. He didn't want to, but what choice did he have? "Fine, I'll let Olivia know."

---

"No Fitz. I'm not going to sit and have a conversation with you and your girlfriend," Olivia said, mad that he even asked.

After a restless night of sleep, Olivia was awakened by the shrill ring of her phone. The phone displayed it was a private number and she was a little worried it was her father. She hadn't heard from him since she had been back and was scared that he was looking for her. But she thought it also might be Fitz and she didn't want to ignore his call. After some debating, she finally found the courage to answer the phone. When he asked her to meet Amelia, she wished she hadn't.

"And when you asked me to get Jake out of the hole? To work with him? That was just fine and dandy then wasn't it?" Fitz said back, thinking that speaking with Amelia for five minutes was the least she could do.

"Right, because I didn't have to see you with your wife every fucking day. I didn't have to tell her to get pregnant with the love of my life's baby. I didn't have to watch you two kiss and cuddle and pretend to be in love," Olivia seethed, ready to go toe to toe with him.

"Key word is pretend, Olivia. And if I recall, you didn't have to endure a goddamn sex tape. Boy, you and Jake sure went at it. Oh and those pictures with you and Edison spooning in bed, those sure made my day. I should've framed them."

"Enough! We can go on and on, tit for tat, until we're blue in the face. I could bring up how you forced me to work with Amanda Tanner knowing you screwed her, and you can throw Jake back in my face but it'll get us nowhere," Olivia huffed and she heard Fitz laugh on the other end. "What is so funny?"

"You. You found a way to sneak in that last little jab so that you could win the who-hurt-who-the-most- with-other-people game," Fitz said, still chuckling and Olivia laughed too. He was right, she did throw in Amanda Tanner so that she could have the last word.

"Fitz, I can't," Olivia said seriously. Seeing him with Mellie was one thing. She knew it wasn't real. But it would kill her to see him with someone he actually had romantic feelings for.

"We don't have a choice. She's going to expose us before we're ready if you don't. And while I want America to know about Max, I want it to be on our terms," Fitz said, adding in the last statement so that she knew he wasn't ashamed of his son.

"Well okay, then. When I bring Max by today, we can all sit and talk. Maybe we'll become besties and she'll let me braid her hair," Olivia said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Fitz could've told her that Amelia wasn't going to be around long enough for them to become besties, but where was the fun in that. He thought Olivia deserved to suffer a little and her thinking that he was still with another woman was the perfect way. "I can't wait."

Fitz disconnected the line and Olivia flopped back onto the bed. Max would be up very soon and she wanted to gather her wits about her. If Amelia wanted to meet her, then so be it. But she would make sure she regretted that decision. Olivia was going to show Fitz everything he was missing and Amelia every single reason why she should feel threatened. This time around, it was her turn to earn him.

"Mamamamama," Olivia heard Max yell down the hall. He woke up so happy in the morning and she wondered where all that energy came from. Swinging her legs over the bed, Olivia padded out of her room and down the hall to get her baby. If she didn't the minute he called for her, he'd try to climb over the guard on his bed and she didn't want him to hurt himself. Soon as Olivia came into sights, Max let out the cutest giggle and smiled brightly at his mother. "C'mere baby," Olivia cooed as she went and picked him up.

When he was within reaching distance, Olivia scooped him up. He laid his head on her chest and Olivia took them back to her room. She sat on her bed and reclined against the headboard. She hummed quietly and spent a few moments being with her baby. This was their morning routine and in a few minutes they'd go and get breakfast and perhaps go for a walk. Soon, Fitz would be joining them in their routines and Olivia couldn't wait. "We're going to see Daddy today."

"Dada?" Max repeated.

"Yup. You're going to love him, I promise. But for now, let's go get some waffles," Olivia spoke into his messy hair.

---

Later in the day, Olivia found herself on the couch in the residence. Even this place had gone through a transformation. Fitz had them put in hardwood floors throughout and paint the walls masculine colors like gray, brown, and a navy. The furniture was no longer stiff and boring, but comfortable leather and suede. There was a nice big flat screen tv on the wall and on either side of it was hung up pictures of his children. Olivia was surprised to see a picture of Max next to Teddy's photo. It was one she recognized from her phone and she figured that he must have emailed a few to himself while he was looking through them last night. The space was much more inviting with the changes he made. It was modern, and manly, and cozy, and oh so him that she wanted to bury her head into a cushion and breathe in his scent.

Max sat in her lap and Olivia focused on him as she waited for Fitz and Amelia to come in. She was careful about how she dressed him, putting him in a pair of moccasins, jeans, and a tribal sweater. She combed his hair just right and made sure he smelled nice. As for herself, she was wearing a long sleeve navy blue fit and flare dress that stopped several inches above her knees. The bodice was lace and the back had a keyhole cutout to expose a bit of skin. She paired it with her nude red bottoms and a bit of gold jewelry. She kept her makeup simple and feathered her hair. She looked great and she knew it.

"Olivia," She heard Fitz call from behind her and turned to see him.

He had been in a meeting when she had arrived so he wasn't dressed as casually as he was yesterday. Instead, he was wearing a charcoal gray suit with a royal purple dress shirt. He was wearing an expensive pair of wing tipped oxfords on his feet and Olivia traveled her eyes to see what color tie he was wearing. To her surprise, his neck was bare, the top button of his shirt undone. Instead, he had a folded purple handkerchief with little white eagles on it in his breast pocket. He looked so handsome that it hurt. She was so busy soaking him in that she didn't even notice the woman standing beside him.

"Olivia, this is Amelia. Amelia, this is Olivia and Max," Fitz introduced. Olivia stood with Max on her hip and met them half way.

As much as she hated to admit it, Amelia was actually quite pretty. She had an older Rachel McAdams, girl next door vibe going for her. Apparently she was trying to make a statement with her outfit as well, wearing a little red number that accentuated her best assets. Olivia sized her up and deemed that she was probably a very nice woman under different circumstances. Nowhere near as cold as Mellie. For a second, Olivia actually felt bad for plotting to get Fitz back, but she got over it quickly. Sticking her hand out to shake, she grasped Amelia's in a firm grip. Battle lines had been drawn.

"Hi, Olivia. It's so nice to finally meet you. I've followed your work for years now. Brilliant, I must say. Fitz has been very tight lipped about you though, hasn't mentioned you once," Amelia said in an almost snarky tone.

"I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with your work at all and Fitz only mentioned you very briefly. No worries, I'm sure we'll get to know each other eventually." Olivia snipped right back.

Amelia didn't respond, just simply shifted her gaze over to the child clinging to Olivia. "Your son is absolutely adorable, Fitz. He looks exactly like you," Amelia gushed.

"Really? Because I think he got a pretty good mix of both me and Olivia," Fitz responded, a bit perplexed as to why Amelia was trying so hard.

"Fitz, why don't you take Max to the kitchen and get him a snack. He hasn't eaten in a few hours and I'm sure he's hungry," Olivia said, handing Max over to his father.

"Are you sure?" Fitz questioned, wanting to be certain that Olivia was comfortable with being alone with Amelia.

"Yes, go ahead. We'll be fine here," Olivia said, looking at Amelia.

"If you insist. Let's go see what we can rustle you up buddy. How does cookies sound?" Fitz murmured to Max and left the women alone.

They made their way over to the couch, sitting on opposite ends. They were quiet for long moments, just staring at each other and waiting for the other to speak first. Olivia had lied when she said she had never heard of Amelia's work. She had spent all last night googling her. She was actually an accomplished senator that had done some great things for her state. She came from a well to do family and had good intentions. She had never been married before and didn't have kids, but had a love for dogs that made adequate substitutes. As she looked further, Olivia began seeing images of her and Fitz. They were leaving dinner dates, going to functions together, or just simply walking the White House grounds holding hands. It made Olivia insanely jealous. That should be her, it would be her. She didn't know what she was going to do to make Fitz forgive her, but she'd think of something.

"Let him go." Her voice was so soft that Olivia almost didn't hear it.

"What?"

"Let. Him. Go," Amelia repeated, her voice stronger. "We are happy. He is happy. Let him go."

"I can't do that," Olivia said, actually feeling bad about it when she saw Amelia's face.

"Why the hell not? Because you don't want to?" Amelia asked, anger tinting her tone.

"Because I physically can't. I've tried. He's tried. We've tried, believe me. But I can't," Olivia told her truthfully.

"He's never going to forgive you for leaving. He said so last night. He said he can't even stand to look at you." Amelia was saying anything she could to get Olivia to agree to leave Fitz be.

"I bet he also said that he still loves me and that he doesn't love you. Didn't he? That's why you're doing everything you can to get me to walk away right now." Olivia saw a look pass in Amelia's eyes to let her know she was onto something.

"He also said that I was perfect for him, that we should be together..."

"But you can't because I exist and I'm not going anywhere," Olivia finished for her.

"I love him. Let me love him; the right way. The way that you can't. Let me be that for him. Please," Amelia begged, tears in her eyes.

"What would be the point if he can't love you back? Amelia, I have every intention on being with him. I need him, he needs me. You're a beautiful woman, you'll find someone else. But Fitz, he's mine and I'm his and that's just the way it is."

Amelia just nodded her head slowly and wiped tears from her eyes. Olivia could see that she knew it was over, that it was over before this conversation even started. Amelia got up and walked towards the exit. She stopped before she was completely out and turned towards Olivia, "Will you tell him I said goodbye?"

Olivia nodded that she would and then Amelia was gone. One obstacle down, one huge one to go. She knew that even with Amelia out of the picture, that that didn't mean that Fitz was going to run to her with open arms. She fucked up. She could admit that. She really messed up and she didn't know if she'd ever restore his faith in her again. Olivia sat and thought about the past years. She and Fitz had been here before. Have been at a place where they couldn't see the light, didn't know how to find their way back to each other. But they always had, no matter what. She wasn't going to let her leaving with Jake ruin what could finally be her endgame. She couldn't.

"Olivia? Where'd Amelia go?" Fitz asked as he came into the room.

"She left. She told me to tell you she said goodbye," Olivia relayed.

Max was happily munching on a cookie, in between bites he was gibbering to Fitz about baby nonsense. The two looked so comfortable together, like they'd known each other far longer than twenty- four hours. Having them side by side, she was able to pick out a few more resemblances that she wondered how she missed.

"Oh. I wish she had stuck around to tell me herself," Fitz said then quickly changed subjects. "While we were in the kitchen, I put in an order for dinner. It should be ready in an hour or so." Fitz came over and set Max on the ground. Olivia pulled out a toy car from her purse and Max busied himself with it.

"You two were already over before our little meeting and you said nothing," Olivia noted. She wasn't accusing him, just laying the cards on the table.

"You're correct," was all he said. Olivia knew that he wasn't going to say more and she wasn't going to push him.

"Does Mellie know yet?" Olivia asked

"No, but I have the kids this weekend so I figured we could sit everyone down and tell them then." Olivia liked that he said we. "Also, I think that we should have a press conference within the next month or two to tell the country about Max. I want to tell them the truth."

"And what's the truth? That we had an affair on and off for nearly five years and that it resulted in a baby that you knew nothing about until yesterday. How much of that do you think they'll believe?" Olivia knew the country would just think he's lying about knowing about Max.

"I don't exactly care what they do and don't believe. The point of saying things is so that Max won't feel left out when he's old enough to realize who I am and who you are. I've gotten way more involved in Karen and Teddy's lives and we go places and do things when it's my time. I won't leave Max here or hide him in the shadows," Fitz said solemnly, like he was making a promise.

"I don't want him to feel that either, Fitz. That's why I came back." Olivia knew once the words were out that he didn't like them.

"So you wouldn't've come back otherwise?" There was a sadness to his voice that she rarely heard.

"It's not as if you were waiting for me." She should've just stopped there, but she couldn't. "Did you even look for me?" She hated to admit it, but she fully expected the secret service to swarm her little cottage and demand that she'd come back. She even kept a bag packed so she'd be ready to go.

"I looked for you for six months, but it was clear you didn't want to be found," Fitz answered, slightly peeved that she wanted and expected him to chase her. As if he hadn't been doing that the entire length of their relationship.

"What's it going to take?" Olivia wondered aloud, throwing her hands up in her frustration.

"Take for what?" Fitz had an idea of what she was talking about, but he wanted to hear the words.

"For you to forgive me. For us to get past this and be together. Just tell me what you want so that I can do it and we can move forward."

"I want to rip Jake's head off with my bare fucking hands. I want to yell and shout at you and tell you how much it killed me when you left. I want to drink an entire bottle of scotch and I haven't felt that way in months. I want to rip your clothes off and make you scream that its mine. But most of all, I want to know that you won't leave again and that I can trust you. I want to be able to get past this and forgive you."

"Do you remember when I thought you killed my mother? You said that you could forgive me of anything? Was that true?" She needed to know that it still was.

"At the time I really felt that way. But I never imagined that you would do this," Fitz sighed.

Olivia was silent for a while, buried deep in her thoughts. "You brought Jake into my life. You did. And now you're punishing me for it. He's gone. He's not a threat to you or to us. Why can't you see that?" Olivia asked, near to tears.

"How can he not be a threat? I don't care if he's in Timbuktu and is never coming back. You have feelings for him that I can't compete with. You felt enough for him to leave with him and you expect me not to feel threatened, not to be pissed. It's only been a day," Fitz said, keeping his voice even because Max was within earshot.

"I don't have feelings for him that can even remotely come close to what I feel for you. I left with Jake. I made a stupid decision in one of the lowest points in my life. Are you going to make me pay for that for the rest of my life?" If he knew the mental state she was in when she made that decision, he wouldn't hold it against her.

"You left me all alone. When I needed you most, you disappeared and didn't even say goodbye. But I shouldn't be surprised, you leave me all the time." There was so much in that sentence that she could agree and disagree with. But she didn't want to argue anymore so Olivia latched on to the last word in his sentence.

"Time then? Is that what it's gonna take? I'll give you all the time you need. Weeks, months, even years. I won't leave you again. I promise. I can say I'm sorry a million times, and believe me I am, but you're gonna have to let me prove it. But you can't keep bringing up the past. We have to move forward and you have to give me a fair chance. After today, I don't want to discuss Jake, or my father, or B613, or the past two years, excluding Gerry, ever again." Olivia said, deciding the only way to get a fresh start is to leave the past in the past.

"Well before we do that, I need to tell you something about your father," Fitz paused and let her process, "he's the one responsible for Gerry's death."

"Wh..what? No, that's not possible. It was my mother. She's the only one that had a motive," Olivia muttered, not believing what he was saying.

"Think about it. He got you gone, got to be head of B613 again, punished me for loving you, and put your mother back in her place. It's a win win for him," Fitz laid out and watched as understanding then pure hatred crossed Olivia's face. "When you're in an alcohol fueled depression, you have a lot of time to obsess over things. There was security footage showing Tom touching Jerry before he went onstage. I figured that's how he got the disease because it couldn't have been airborne. From there I had to figure out why Tom would murder my son. It took me weeks, but then I remembered you father saying that he knew I was in love with you. How would he know that unless he had inside information?"

"Tom was B613 the entire time?" Olivia asked, though it wasn't really a question. "So where is my father now? And Tom?"

"Well Tom is dead. He died a slow and tortuous death. As for your father, I let your friend Huck deal with him. Thought it would freeing and conducive to his therapy sessions. I think after a few hours, he threw him in the same hole with your mother and she finished him off," Fitz told her, a lightness to his tone that didn't match the seriousness of the situation.

"And whose the head of B613 now. Please don't say Huck." Olivia waited on baited breath for the answer, but wasn't prepared for the answer he gave.

"Me."

"Fitz…"Olivia saw firsthand what that organization did.

"Relax, it's really in name only. The organization doesn't actually exist anymore. After looking over all the records, interesting reading by the way, I destroyed them and now the agents sit and twiddle their thumbs."

"Why not just disband it?" Olivia thought that made the most sense.

"Because it's a very powerful entity that will come back if I did. I figure I can keep it under control and after a while, no one will remember it even existed. Plus it's a big ego boost being the most powerful man in the entire world," Fitz ended with a chuckle.

"Please don't joke about that." Olivia thought about it and figured he was right. "So are we done now? Can me move on and leave the past behind us?"

"I will promise to try. Can we go eat now?" Olivia nodded her agreement, picked up Max, and followed Fitz to the dining room. "By the way, you look amazing in that dress," he threw over his shoulder.

Olivia just smiled back. Maybe they would have a chance after all.

---

The next two months went by rather smoothly .The meeting with the kids went by well. Karen was shocked and was pissed for a slight second because she thought Olivia coming back would cause her father to relapse. Fitz promised that he'd remain sober and she readily accepted Max, though she was still leery of Olivia. Teddy was too young to understand exactly how Max came to be and was just happy to have a playmate. Mellie, on the other hand, was slightly annoyed that Olivia got the title of mother of Fitz's child. Previously, that was something she could lord over Olivia, something that was special only to her and Fitz. Though she was happy with Andrew, she still liked to have a leg up over Olivia and now she didn't. Either way, she promised to support them when the time came to announce Max, mainly because she and Fitz were friends and he agreed to do the same with her and Andrew.

As for Fitz and Olivia, they were at an impasse. Olivia tried her hardest to get close to Fitz again. They saw each other every night and she was deadest on reminding him of the good times. She even attempted to make jam one night, and though it turned out horribly, Fitz ate it like a good sport and said he appreciated the effort. But at the end of the night when she tried to kiss him, he pulled away and gave her a friend hug. She tried everything she could think of. She looked her absolute best when he came, called him first just to ask how his day was, looked over some of his speeches, and made sure he had constant access to her and Max. But he wasn't budging. He was no longer bringing up the past, but he wasn't looking at her like he used to either. Olivia was at her wits end and decided to play her trump card tonight.

She personally set up dinner for the two of them. She remembered that Fitz told her that he was on a clean eating diet, so she ordered some chicken breast, brown rice, and broccoli and for dessert, she got a blueberry crumble and some lactose free ice cream. She wasn't sure how the ice cream would taste, but hoped that he liked it. She wanted it to be just her and him, so she sent Max to Abby and David's. While she was nervous, she was also excited and hoped this would mark a turn in their relationship. Fitz would be there any moment so she hurriedly went and checked herself in the mirror one last time. She wanted to appear casual but nice, so she chose a black pencil skirt and a coral blouse. She put some light waves into her hair and the only pieces of jewelry she wore were the ring on her index finger and a necklace Fitz had gotten her some time ago. She took a deep breath and did a few turns in the mirror, but the doorbell rang signaling her guest was here.

She tried hard not to run, wanting to appear calm and collected, but found herself speed-walking to the door. She checked to peephole just to make sure it was Fitz on the other side, it was, and she opened the door with a wide smile on her face. He looked so handsome. He was leaning against the doorway holding a bottle of wine with her favorite grin on his face peeking through his trim beard. She stepped back and let him in.

"I hope this wine is appropriate for what we're having for dinner tonight," Fitz said as he took off his peacoat, revealing a denim shirt and khakis. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. "Where's Max?"

Snapping out her lust filled haze, Olivia answered, "he's with Abby and David tonight. I thought we could use some alone time," she said calmly, and when he gave her a perplexing look, added, "I hope that's okay."

"Uh, yes. Of course. You just caught me off guard. We haven't been truly alone in quite some time," Fitz remarked, thinking the last time had been in Vermont.

"I know, so I ordered us some dinner, healthy of course, and thought we could watch a movie or something," Olivia suggested.

"Miss Pope, are you asking me out on a date?" Fitz asked, putting a hand to his chest and making his eyes go wide.

Hiding her smile, Olivia replied, "Actually, Mr. President, when we go on a real date it will be you asking me and we will be going to a real restaurant."

"Is that so?" Fitz asked, a smile forming, "I think that can be arranged."

Olivia was very surprised by his answer. He barely even looked at her when he came to see Max and now he was hinting at a date. She wanted to hide her elation and simply smiled back and nodded her head. She led him to the dining room, on the way Fitz complementing her on her outfit. He told her she looked absolutely gorgeous and she thought her cheeks were going to burst from smiling so hard. He pulled out her chair and pushed it in when she sat. He even poured her a glass of wine, pouring water for himself, then finally sat across from her.

"I really appreciate you doing all of this, Liv." Progress. He hadn't called her anything but Olivia since she came back. While it wasn't Livvie, she'd take Liv.

"No problem," she answered coyly, secretly beaming on the inside.

The rest of dinner went exceedingly well. They talked about everything and nothing. Fitz told her he was planning on taking the kids on vacation in two months and wondered if she and Max would like to come. She readily agreed and they talked about having a press conference to reveal Max to the world a few weeks before. They reminisced on the good times in their relationships, trading stories about the trail and the early time in his presidency. They were careful to leave out any negativity and soon found themselves cuddled on the couch watching some type of lifetime movie. Olivia wasn't paying attention, she was too preoccupied with the feel of Fitz. She had her thighs thrown over his lap and was tucked into his side. He had one arm casually thrown around her and his hand on the other arm was tracing patterns on her legs. She had never felt so content in her life. There was nothing between them, no wife he had to get home to, no secrets kept, and for the moment, nowhere else to be but here.

She peered up at him and stroked his beard and hair, just feeling the overwhelming need to touch him. He didn't push her hand away so she kept going. Her heart was beating fast and she felt butterflies take flight in her stomach. God…this man. He was everything she tried to avoid, but absolutely everything she needed. She could hardly breathe thinking about what she felt for him. Olivia turned his head towards her and he looked down and waited for her to speak. Her breath caught in her throat as she peered into his eyes. "I love you… so much." She said it with all the emotion she could muster, tears threatening to spill over.

She had never said it first and rarely responded when he said it. She hoped that he knew how much she was head over heels in love with him and she planned to say it more often. He blinked at her, once, then twice, and she almost regretted being this vulnerable so soon. But then he was leaning down and crashing his lips onto hers. Olivia immediately responded, climbing fully onto his and opening her mouth wider. He grabbed her hips and pulled her closer, groaning as she rotated over his erection. Fitz moved away from her mouth and latched onto her neck. Olivia grabbed onto his hair and moaned as his hands traveled upwards, untucking her shirt and pulling it completely off. He pulled away from her neck and sat back to admire the beauty that was her. The way he was looking at her, with pure unadulterated lust made her nipples go stiff and her breathing pick up. With a simple flick of his finger, the front clasp of her bra was undone and Fitz licked his lips before lowering his head. The first brush of his tongue made Olivia arch and the next made her whimper.

"Fitz…" she moaned his name as he sucked her nipple into his mouth.

She could feel him beneath him, so hot and so hard that she couldn't help but to wind her hips in hopes of relieving the ache. He bit and sucked and nibbled and licked and she loved every second of it. But as he continued, she was growing needier, wanting to feel his hands all over her. Her panties were soaked and she was practically riding him as she sat in his lap. She needed him to take her, right there, right then. She reached for his belt buckle and part of her was waiting for him to push her away like last time, but he didn't. She snaked her hand into his boxers and found him ready for her. She squeezed him in her palm and felt him groan against her breast. Moving her hand slowly up and down, she put her mouth right next to his ear and whispered all the things she wanted to do to him. Told him how much she thought about him, how much she needed him, how she couldn't wait until he was inside her again. He was murmured back how he would stroke himself thinking of her, how she drove him out of his mind. His hand left her breasts in search of her heat, traveling down her stomach and into her panties. When he reached his destination, he pulled away and looked Olivia in her eyes. He watched as they threatened to close when he skimmed his finger across her clit. He looked on as she bit her lip and moaned when a second finger joined and started to rub. The noises she made when his questing fingers found their way inside her had him hardening even further in her hand. He continued to move in and out, continued to look at her while her face transformed in ecstasy. He brought her to the edge, could see she was about to come, and stopped.

"Fitz…?" Olivia whimpered, not believing that he actually stopped. She tried to move her hips against him to take what she needed, but he held her still. "Please…"

"You will. I promise. Just not like this." She thought that meant that he was having second thoughts. That he'd leave her aching and alone to finish herself off. She was wrong.

He flipped her onto the couch and quickly shed her of her bottoms and underwear. He spread her thighs as wide as they would go and lowered between them face first. This was a feeling she knew well, something she replayed in the dark so many times she could almost pretend she felt him. But as he laid kisses to her inner thighs, this feeling was something her memory could not compete with. Anticipation curled in her belly as licked and sucked his way to the place she needed him most. The scrape of his beard made her toes curl and she had to hold onto the cushions for leverage. He was at her pubic bone, sucking on the flesh there, so close and yet so far. The tip of his tongue outlined her hips and Olivia shifted to try and get him where she ached, to where she was literally dripping with want. Finally he moved over her, his lips ghosting over her sex in a way that she wasn't even sure she felt him or had just imagined it. The way he teased her made her pant and move her hands to her nipples to relieve some of the built of tension. Then without warning, he sucked her clit into his mouth. She couldn't help the scream that tumbled from her lips. He ate at her like he was starving, reacquainting himself with her in only a way that he could. Olivia dug her head into the cushions and arched her back trying to get away and yet push closer.

"Ohh god," Olivia moaned, feeling that sweet tension building from the tips of her toes. "Don't stop…please don't stop."

And he didn't. He kept going until she came hard into his mouth. He didn't stop until she came a second time, shaking so violently from the pleasure that he had to hold her hips in place. When he finally let up, Olivia could barely move. Her limbs felt like jelly, and yet she wanted more. Wanted to feel him inside her, to have him make love to her after all this time. He rose above her, licking his lips and giving her a look that said she was going to get it. God, she couldn't wait. Gathering her strength, she sat up on her elbows and watched as he lined up their pelvises. She had almost forgotten how glorious his cock was and looked on in awe as began to give it to her inch by inch. When he was all the way in, she laid back down and beckoned him to come with her. The weight of him pushed her further into the couch as she locked her legs around his hips. The way he was thrusting in and out was making her lose her mind. She didn't remember it ever being this good between them, couldn't fathom how she'd ever go without it again.

"Damn, Livvie…"Fitz grunted in her ear as he picked up the pace. He gathered her closer in his arms and took her harder. She held on tight and begged him to go deeper, to fuck her faster. She lifted her hips to meet him thrust for thrust and dug her nails into his back. She was close, could feel her muscles closing in around his length. He braced his hand on the armrest and looked down at her while he continued to move in and out of her.

"Tell me," he groaned, knowing what she'd know exactly what he was talking about. "Tell me what I want to hear and I'll give you what you need."

"Yours…"she whimpered, barely remembering her own name but making her brain work well enough to push the word out.

"Whose?" Fitz growled low, giving her deep thrusts that had her damn near screaming his name.

"Yours, baby…"Olivia repeated, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as the pleasure intensified. "Fuck…only yours."

"Mine." Fitz confirmed, moving his thumb to her clit and making her skin prickle with anticipation of the orgasm that was soon to come. "You can never leave me again."

"Never…"Olivia moaned out, so lost in how he was making her feel but coherent enough to tell him she'd never leave him again. God she hoped he knew how much she meant it.

Satisfied with her answers, Fitz moved in a way designed to make her come. Olivia didn't know half of what she was saying, moaning that she was his, that she loved him, and other things she wasn't even sure were words. She was so close, her body tightening and going stiff. A split second before she exploded, Fitz thrust his tongue into her mouth and swallowed her scream as she climaxed. She kissed him hard as he found his pleasure. His hands gripped her hips in such and intensity that she knew she'd have bruises, but she could care less. They'd marked each other, hickeys, love bites, and scratches coating their bodies. He claimed her as his and she did the same. Finally they came down, their chests rising and falling as they fought to catch their breaths. Fitz fell to the side and pulled Olivia on top of him.

"I didn't have sex with him," Olivia said after a few moments of silence. She didn't know what made her say it, but she just felt compelled to allay any doubts he may have. "When we left, I wasn't in a good place, then I found out I was pregnant, and I had a baby to take care of. That's what I told myself. But really…he wasn't you."

Fitz pulled her in closer and kissed her soundly on the lips. She could taste his relief. "I didn't have sex with Amelia either. She's one of those women that like to wait until both people are in love…and well…I wasn't capable of loving her. Not when you still had all of me."

"So now what?" Olivia asked, still smiling from his confession.

"Now we date. We go to the movies and dinners and take long walks in the park. I'll surprise you with adventures and vacations and ask you to move in when the time is right. You'll look through my pockets and drawers for the ring that you know I have and wonder when I'll finally ask you. But I promise, you'll never see it coming. And then you'll surprise me one day with news that we're having another baby and I'll surprise you with a key to a house in Vermont that is ten times better to the first one. And I'll make sure you are happy," Fitz spoke and Olivia clung to his every word.

"And I'll love you every single second of every day for the rest of our lives. I'll tie your ties for you, lie to you when you ask me if you look old, carry your baby for nine months even though I swore to you the last one was the last one. I'll make our house a home and fill it was the most delicious jams you will ever taste. We'll argue about our kids' futures, you saying it's okay for Max to become a rock star and me insisting he go to Harvard. We both know I'll win. And when I don't think I can love you anymore than I already do, you'll smile my favorite smile and I'll know that all we went through to get to that point was worth it."

---

AN: I think that Shonda can take it from there. I want to thank everyone that sent reviews and PM's reminding me that I have two stories to finish. I haven't forgotten. Anyways, leave me a review telling me what you thought. I'd love to know everyone's thoughts one the finale, the upcoming season, and if you think Shonda has gone bat shit crazy with power? Till next time, whenever that is...