A/N: Hello all! I'm back with another story, sorta. I didn't put this one with my one shots because honestly, I feel like I have a story here that is a little bigger than a one shot. I actually was sitting down to finish an update to my story Just Friends & listening to Seinabo Sey(seriously, if you haven't heard of her listen to her). I got distracted on tumblr & came across a post with pictures of beauty from around the world. As I was scrolling, I reached a girl from Columbia & when I saw her, this story popped into my head so I just started writing. I have been toying around with writing Olitz with a teenage child for awhile but a lot of people have the long lost child story so I didn't want to add to the pile until now I guess lol. This is an AU story with Fitz being a songwriter/producer who had a summer fling with Olivia Pope 15 years ago when they were kids(she was 18 & he was 20). Fast forward 15 years & they have not seen each other past their summer & that is were this story picks up. So tell me if you want me to go further with this idea that just came to me four hours ago.
Music For Love; Introduction
"My mom is going to kill me."
"No she is not?"
"Have you met my mother? She is going to kill me and then get away with my murder."
"You are overreacting," Mia said as she looked at her friend.
"Why? Why did I let you talk me into this?"
"Layla Grace," a tall, slender brunette called her name.
"Here she is," Mia stood and pulled Layla up.
The brunette looked at both young girls.
"Are you going to throw up? You look like you are going to throw up?"
"No. I'm fine," Layla said nervously.
The brunette walked away and Layla looked at Mia. Mia nudged her forward and both girls hurried to follow behind the brunette. They caught up to her in time for her to open a big black door.
"Mr. Grant, Layla Grace and her friend," the brunette introduced before exiting the room.
"Mia," she said as she shook Fitzgerald Grant's hand.
"Fitzgerald Grant," Fitz smiled as he shook her hand.
Layla looked around the big office in awe of all of the platinum plaques and Grammys.
"You must be Layla," Fitz extended his hand.
"Yes," Layla shook his hand nervously, "That's me." She held his hand longer than she should have.
Layla pulled her hand away, "I'm sorry. I'm not normally this weird. I'm just super nervous."
"There is nothing to be nervous about. I hear you are super talented."
"She is. She sings and plays the piano and violin," Mia says.
"Wow," Fitz nodded impressed, "Do you dance too?"
"A little," Layla said nonchalantly.
"You missed our auditions in DC," Fitz stated.
"Yeah."
"Why? If you are serious about getting into this program, why did you miss the audition and why should I give you a chance right now?"
"I don't go to the school of the arts so I wasn't allowed to audition. That's why I missed it. And you should give me a chance because I skipped school and took a train to New York for the chance to audition. Even if I don't get it, you should give me a chance because if my mom catches me, she is going to kill me and if I am going to potentially die, I need for this trip to at least be worth it," Layla spoke all in one breath.
Fitz looked at her.
"You skipped school."
"Yes," Layla said cautiously.
Fitz was quiet and she became nervous. She was mentally killing herself for thinking that her long movie style explanation would even be something that he cared about. Layla knew that she should never have come here.
"As the adult in the room, I should tell you not to skip school. It is bad. Don't do that again," Fitz said.
"I won't."
"You remind me a lot of myself. You want something, you go after it, screw the rules. I respect that."
Layla mentally prepared herself for the "but" that she felt was coming after that sentence.
"You have two minutes to impress me."
"Um, okay," that wasn't what Layla was expecting but she was elated. She quickly pulled herself together, "I'm going to sing 'Turning Tables' by Adele."
"Those are some big shoes you picked to fill," Fitz said.
"I can handle it," Layla said confidently.
Layla handed her things to Mia and took a few deep breaths before turning back to Fitz. She started the song and sang as if her life depended on it, which it actually did. Fitz was lost in the sound of her voice. He had never in his life, heard anyone sound as amazing as the young lady standing before him. Long before anyone in the room knew it, the two minutes he had given her to impress him had and she ended up singing the whole song.
When she was done, Mia clapped loudly causing Layla to blush and look down.
"I told you she was super talented," Mia said.
"That she is," Fitz stared at her in awe.
Layla walked into her house after 6pm. Her mother was sitting in the living room surrounded by her laptop and a bunch of papers.
"Hey mom," Layla said as she walked in.
"Hey baby," Olivia said not looking up from her laptop, "How was school?"
"It was school. Gym sucks. Lunch is bad. Work is hard. Boys are average."
"So nothing exciting happened today?" Olivia looked up at her daughter.
"No," Layla shook her head.
"I would think a trip to New York on a school day would be pretty exciting but I guess we are different people," Olivia said with a smile.
"How did you…," Layla didn't finish her question.
"You're school called and I have Huck," Olivia looked at her daughter, "What is going on? Are you doing drugs?"
"No. That was an extreme."
"So is skipping school and going to another state for a day."
"Mia got me an audition. There is this new music program at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and I went on the chance that maybe I could get in."
Olivia rubbed her temples.
"Mom, I know that you don't want to go to that school but it is a really good program and I had to take the chance. I'm sorry I skipped school. It won't happen again."
"It is not that I don't want you to go to that school. It is that you have never shown any real interest in making music your career. You sing in the shower, beautifully. You play piano around here but you have never came to me and said, 'Mom, I want to make music'. You treat it like a hobby so I treat it like a hobby."
"Well, I'm 15. Right now, I don't want to be some superstar musician and I can't say that I want to be in the future but I love singing and writing and I'm really good at both."
Olivia nodded.
"Okay. If this is something you are really interested in then we'll see."
"Thank you, mom!" Layla threw her arms around her mother and hugged her tightly. "I don't know if I'm going to get it but my audition went really well. I'll know in a few days if I was chosen to participate in a two day singing workshop. After the workshop, they will pick the students who will be selected to join the program."
Layla explained the details of the music program to her mother. Olivia sat and listened, intently. She had never heard her daughter speak so passionately about music before. Olivia knew that Layla had a gift when it came to singing, it came honest given who her father was but never had she talked about music the way she was doing now.
"Listen, I'm not trying to pull my weight around here but I want her in this program," Fitz said adamantly.
"The rules were clear cut. This is only for students of Duke Ellington," Elizabeth North, one of the music program board members said.
"Screw the rules, Lizzie. This kid super talented and it makes no sense to keep her from the program just because she isn't currently enrolled in the school. We are supposed to be molding and shaping young minds, aren't we?"
"It is simply not fair to our other students, who are in enrolled if we open this program up for just anyone."
"I don't want it opened up for anyone, I want it opened up for her."
"Why?"
"Because she came to New York to see me on a school day and she can sing her ass off."
"You seem really invested in this," Elizabeth looked down at the file in front of her, "Layla Pope."
"Look, I'm not trying to come in here and shake things up. I just want to work with really talented kids. I know you have a lot of them here but this girl, I'm vouching for her. Either she gets a chance or you don't have me to produce music."
The room got quiet, and Fitz just sat there. He had played his biggest card and he knew that they had no choice but to let Layla into the program.
"Mom, guess what?" Layla asked out of breath.
She had ran up four flights of stairs instead of waiting for the elevator because she couldn't wait to tell her mother, the good news.
"Hi. Hello. How are you?" Olivia looked at her daughter.
"Hey. Hello. I'm fine. Guess what?"
"What?" Olivia chuckled shaking her head.
"I got picked to be a part of the workshop for Duke Ellington! AH!" Layla screamed.
"That's awesome! I'm some excited for you," Olivia stood up and hugged her daughter.
"I have to pick some songs and practice because these kids have had all year. I'm nervous but happy."
"You have nothing to be worried about."
"You're only saying that because you're my mom."
"You have nothing to be worried about."
Olivia and Layla both turned in the direction of the deep male voice. Olivia felt like the world stopped. She stared at the man. It had been years but it was no mistaken that it was him. Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III was standing in her office.
"Mom, this is Fitzgerald Grant. He is a Grammy award winning songwriter and producer. He is running the music program at Duke Ellington. Mr. Grant, this is my mom, Olivia Pope."
Fitz stared at Olivia. It had been years since he last saw her but here she was. Her hair was longer and she had lost some weight but here was his doe eyed, Livvie.
"Hi," he voice cracked when he spoke.
"Hi," her voice matched his.
Layla looked between the two.
"Are you guys okay?"