Stay

"Oh I'll stay with you, through the ups and the downs

Oh I'll stay with you, when no one else is around

And when the dark clouds arrive

I will stay by your side

I know we'll be all right

I will stay with you"

Stay With You, John Legend

It'd been storming all day. Fog covered the city and the streets were slippery from the continuous downpour. President Fitzgerald Grant III stared out of the window like a child who's spent one too many hours road tripping with his family.

Before he could ask for the tenth time SSA Daniel spoke up, "ETA ten minutes, Sir."

Fitz sighed. They had to take extra precautions whenever he left the White House like this. A fifteen-minute ride turned into thirty minutes of weaving down side streets. He was anxious and frustrated, a petulant child that just wants to arrive at the final destination. Fitz knew this but he didn't care. He'd had a horrible day. Another war breaking out in the Middle East, Mellie barging into the Oval growling her complaints and demands at him and another one of Cyrus' long drawn out speeches about Fitz' lack of interest in choosing a new Supreme Court judge had set Fitz at his wits' end. It was safe to say Fitz was ready for his term to end. He was over being President. He had served his country but he wanted his life back. The life he truly desired not the one portrayed on television and printed on newspapers.

He was exhausted. He should have been in bed but he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned to not avail. In the darkness of his room, he reached for the phone placing a call to Hal asking him to prepare a car. By now the SSAs knew not to try and argue with him. With or without them, he would be leaving the White House. With Daniel driving, all three men headed away from the White House, to the underground parking lot and up the service elevator to the top floor.

There standing at their post was Tom and at the other side of the door Huck. Truly, Fitz only desired Tom to keep watch of her but Huck was unmovable from her side. Fitz was appreciative of their loyalty.

"Tom. Huck." He addressed them.

"Sir." Tom said. Huck just nodded. He never said much, Fitz noted.

Fitz paused at the door, retrieving the keys from his pocket. If he knocked he would wake her and never hear the end of it. He had learned this the hard way. A small smile overtook his face as he remembered that argument.

Lightening and thunder roared outside but the apartment was silent. Removing his coat and shoes by the door, he noticed the state of the living room. It seemed it had also been a long day for Olivia too. She was a clean freak. She kept her apartment in an immaculate state but the clothes thrown all over the living room told another story. Fitz took his time to fold everything and piling them on the coffee table for Olivia to put away. Quietly, he navigated his way down the hall in complete darkness. He knew it well enough to avoid crashing into furniture and walls.

The soft light of a bedside lamp lit Liv's room. There she was, curled up in the middle of the bed. Fitz smiled. All was right in his world. This was home. This was why he'd risked everything to come tonight. Climbing into bed, he draped his arm around Olivia, pulling her into his chest. He buried his head into her curls and inhaled deeply. She smelled like vanilla and a hint of coconut. God, he loved her. Regret and sadness flooded him at the thought of all the missed opportunities, the years he wasted at Mellie's side.

"You're wet." Liv mumbled into his chest.

"Sorry," he held her tighter when she tried to move away. "Not yet."

Fitz took a few calming breaths. Impatiently, Liv grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to kiss her. Breathlessly, Liv confessed she missed him. This was rare for her and Fitz tried to remain calm at her admission.

"I missed you too. I had to see you."

She studied his handsome face, while her fingers ran through his curls. "Bad day? Want to talk about it?"

"Not right now." He shook his head. "I want to just be here."

"Ah, well I have just the fix." She slipped from his grasp. "Go change. It's almost time."

Fitz felt silly as he removed clothes from the bottom drawer of Liv's dresser. Surely, this was something only 20 something year olds were suppose to do. He was the President of the United States changing into a fresh t-shirt and pajama bottoms at his girlfriend's house.

"How was today?"

"Ugh. Awful. She would start crying every time I put her down. I got nothing done. You all spoiled her. She's ruined." Fitz sat with his back against the headboard watching Liv with his girl in her arms. A bundle of dark curls and violet footie pajamas with white hearts on them, she was perfection. The love he felt for their little girl was indescribable. She was the very best of Olivia and him wrapped up in the most beautiful package. "This morning she was a torment. Now it's all smiles for daddy."

"Lies. My Rosie? A torment?" He reached over for her. Her big brown eyes studied him as he softly traced her face. She looked so much like her mother: big doe eyes, chubby cheeks and pouty lips. He loved her. He felt like his heart would burst the first time he saw her.

They had been worried for months about her appearance. Liv had a plan but it would only work if Caucasian features wouldn't dominate her genes. As much as Fitz wanted to see himself in her, he knew it was for the best that she'd not have his grey blue eyes or thin lips. The next one Fitz thought although he didn't dare say it out loud.

"Don't let that angelic face trick you. She's a menace. She vomited all over Tom today." Liv cringed at the memory. "Poor guy had just arrived and had to go back to change."

Fitz held his girl, playing with her fingers and toes as Liv continued to update him on their day. Right on schedule, Rosie stretched out her small limbs and scrunched up her face getting ready to cry.

"And it starts again." Liv huffed getting out of bed. "Let me grab her bottle."

"What happened to breast feeding?" Fitz asked distracted as he pressed small kisses all over Rosie's face. She smelled like heaven.

"I pumped so you could feed her. I thought you would like that." She called over her shoulder.

Rosie didn't seem pleased with waiting and started to cry again. "Rosie…" His voice caught her attention. She knows I'm her daddy, right? Fitz questioned within himself. She was only four months old and he didn't get to see her as much as he desired. Olivia was reluctant to bring her into the White House for fear of being discovered so he was forced to sneak away like tonight to be with them. "I love you, Rosie Grant."

"Pope Grant." Liv corrected him. He didn't notice when she slipped back into bed.

"I thought we discussed this."

"Yes," She reached over him to slip a bib around the baby's neck. "And we decided Pope Grant. No hyphen."

"Did we?" He glanced at her. Honestly, all he remembered was the making up that followed afterwards.

"Yes Fitz. Look at her. She is all Pope."

"Hey it's not my fault you have the stronger set of genes." He leaned over and kissed Liv's cheek. He had the two most beautiful girls in the world. He was blessed.

"Well if it makes you feel any better she hates me." Liv snorted but Fitz saw the insecurity behind her statement.

"Livvie," He balanced Rosie in one arm and pulled Liv into his side with the other. "Have I thanked you lately for doing this all on your own? I know it's hard."

"It's fine." She tried to wave him off, eyes cast down as sadness filled them.

"Hey, look at me." She refused to. Her head laid on his shoulder and the tears spilled over. He felt her shoulders shake with emotion. "Olivia, please."

It took her a few minutes to meet his eyes, "it's hard." She confessed. "I love her. I want her. I don't regret the decision we made to keep her…"

"But…"

"I feel so alone sometimes… I know this is the way things have to be, at least for a while, but sometimes… I wished things were different. I wished you were here. I wished you were mines. Ours." Her voice sounded so fragile. It broke his heart.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I put you in this position, Olivia. We should have been more careful. I should have resigned and divorced Mellie as soon as I found out about your pregnancy…"

"No," Liv shook her head and wiped her tears. Olivia Pope the fixer knew that would have never worked. No matter how heartbroken and weak she felt as a woman and a mother. "You only have a few more months left in your presidency. We have a plan. Run out your time. Divorce Mellie. Leak that we are dating a year later. Then when we get married you'll adopt Rosie. People bought the lie that I went out and had her alone using an unknown sperm donor. It's not perfect but it's the only way we can be together. It's the only way for you to be legally her father without being ostracized for the rest of our lives."

Fitz watched her in awe. "I love you. You are strong and amazing. Rosie loves you too. She's just a baby."

"I know. I just wished you were here. She turned over today and I picked up the phone to call you. Something happens and I only want to talk to you."

Tears glistened in Fitz eyes. "I want to be here too. Cyrus is constantly yelling at me because I'm daydreaming of you two."

"We're going to give Cyrus a heart attack." Liv chuckled thinking of her dear friend. They weren't on speaking terms at the moment. He vehemently disagreed on their choice to continue with the pregnancy and keep the baby. He used every weapon in his arsenal trying to convince the couple but in the end they were too enchanted with the idea of having a child together. Rosie symbolized the love and devotion Olivia and Fitz had for one another. There was never any other choice.

"He will be fine." Fitz rolled his eyes. "You know what? I'm going to ask Charlotte to clear my schedule for this weekend. We'll spend it in Vermont. Just us three."

"Not to sound ungrateful but are you aware of how much packing that involves. Rosie might be a little thing but she needs a lot!"

"Don't worry about it. I'll have Tom do it."

"Fitz…"

"And you don't pack anything."

Liv gave him a knowing look. "Nothing?"

"Nothing. You won't need it." It had been a long time since they had made love and Fitz was ready to remedy that.

"Not even those red heels…" She trailed off knowing what happened last time she wore those. That was a fun Christmas party at Cyrus and James' house.

"Definitely pack those." Liv leaned forward to kiss him, deepening it as she let the lust she was feeling take over. Fitz pulled away before they got carried away. They didn't have enough time. He planned to worship her body. Take his sweet time and torture her. "Lie down with me. I want to hold my girls before I go."

With Rosie on his chest and Liv at his side, Fitz slept for a few hours. It was the best night sleep he'd had in weeks. One day, he thought as he got out of bed, he would spend every night like this.

"I love you, Rosie." He kissed his daughter and inhaled her scent trying to engrave it in his mind before laying her down in her bassinet by the bed.

"I love you, Livvie. Wait for me." He kissed the love of his life and pulled the blanket to keep her warm.

Fitz took one final look around the room and questioned how much longer he could spend away from them.