((Hey there! So, this is our (yes, we have two people running this fanfic account) first one-shot! We have so many ideas regarding Olitz and we wanted to put them into stories! We both come up with ideas, we both write these stories and edit them, and we both take credit. We're best friends and we love Scandal and Olitz! Olitz is our OTP and we wanted to do a one-shot of Fitz finding out that Jake choked her.

We really hate what he did and we wish Fitz would find out and kick his ass, but given it's Shonda Rhimes, it probably won't happen, but we can hope right? Anyway, we hope you enjoy this one-shot! :D We do not own the show or the characters (although we wish we did). Especially Tony.))

"Liv, slow down! If he was in danger, we wouldn't even be able to enter The White House!" Abby shouted as she followed after Olivia who was making her way through said building at a quick pace. She was dressed in the same gray tweed blazer with contrast black detailing on the shoulders and down the sides which matched perfectly with the same colored and detailed skirt that she had been wearing all day, including during OPA's celebration of taking down B-613 right before Jake Ballard forced his way in, pushed Olivia up against the door and wrapped his hand around her throat.

It was something that terrified Olivia, something she never expected to happen, but she wasn't someone to show fear. She remained as calm as she could with this man's hand around her throat, and after he told her what she had done, the fear really showed. Except it wasn't fear for herself, but for The President. For Fitz. After demanding him to let her go and even knocking his hand away from her throat, Olivia ordered him to leave her office and after a few threatening words, he did as told. Her eyes stared at him, coldly and deadly, as he left the building and she was sure to convey to him, through her glare, that she was done with him. For good. That this was something she wouldn't let go or forgive him for.

Her throat stung, inside and out, and she could still feel the tightness inside of her throat which made it a little difficult to breathe, but she managed. She refused to let this bring her down or stop her from seeing Fitz. Her neck was red with his hand print, bruised, even, with some light purple discoloration mixed with the red. Her back and the back of her head was painful from the slam against the door, but she chose to ignore the pain as much as she could and focus on the task at hand. Gladiator. However, ignoring the marks on her skin was something she couldn't do; she had to hide the marks on her neck because if Fitz saw them, there was no way she could escape that conversation and she knew he would be out for Jake's blood.

So, after glancing around her office for no more than a minute, Olivia grabbed the black wool scarf that hung from the coat rack in the corner of her office and hung it around her neck enough to cover the marks on her throat before she hurried out of her office and into the elevator. Abby, refusing to let her go on her own, followed behind her while the rest of the team stayed behind in order to figure out Marie Wallace's AKA Maya Pope's whereabouts.

That's how Olivia ended up back at The White House in a hurry down the halls. The thought of Fitz being in danger, of him dying, scared Olivia more than anything. Even more so knowing /she/ could have caused it, that she could be the cause of his death. Obviously, nothing had happened to him since the White House would no doubt be be in a panic and law enforcement would have the building surrounded, but she still needed to check on him. She needed to make sure he was okay with her own eyes, but she also needed to warn him. His life was in danger and he had a right to know.

Images of his shooting replayed through her mind as she hurried down the halls and that painful memory made her pace quicken even more. Desperate to reach him, but she made sure to keep that fearful expression off of her face. The gunshot to his head, all that blood, the erratic beeping, the frantic yelling, it had been the scariest moment of Olivia's life. The image of them rolling him on that stretcher covered in blood still made her sick to this day. He could have died, he /almost/ died, she almost lost him, and the thought of going through that again absolutely broke her. But again, she couldn't show that. She couldn't show her fear, her guilt or her worry no matter how much it swelled within her. The tears stung in her eyes from the thought of Fitz dying, but she held them back as she hurried down the hall with Abby still behind her.

Once she reached the room outside of his office, she glanced at Lauren whom was sitting at her desk typing away at her computer, only to look away when she saw Olivia approach the Oval Office door. "Miss Pope!" She called, standing up.

"Is he in there, Lauren?" She asked, making sure to hide any and all panic that was previously in her voice. It was amazing that she did it so easily in a time like this.

"Yes, but –..." Before she could even finish, Olivia walked right up to the door, grabbed the knob and turned it before opening the door. The sound of Fitz's voice came to a sudden stop when the door opened and he looked up, as did everyone else within the room. Four other people were currently in the room with Fitz; each having a paper in their hand. They looked at Olivia with confusion, as did Fitz, but he also had some anger on his face. Why in the world did she suddenly walk in and interrupt the meeting? His face conveyed that message to her, but then he noticed something. Something no one else did.

Through the years of knowing Olivia, of loving her, he was able to know her; to read her. Her words, her facial expressions, her voice, her movements, everything. Just like she could read him. Better than anyone else could. They came to know one another better than anyone else and that helped to understand each other.; not just their current moods and feelings, but what they have also experienced in their past and also their fears and worries for the present and future. They could read each other so well. How they were feeling, what they wanted to say without having to say it, etc. And right now was no different. Though she looked calm, Fitz knew better. He could see the glimmer of worry in her dark eyes with the way she stared at him, and he could see her chest rising and falling faster than usual, and just the fact that she came in without knocking also gave it away. But again, only Fitz picked up on that. Without needing Olivia to explain, Fitz cleared his voice to get the attention of everyone in the room.

"We need the room." He informed everyone, including Olivia, and Abby whom was still standing behind her.

Fitz knew something was wrong and he knew she wouldn't tell him with a room full of people. Heck, she still might not even tell him in privacy, but he hoped she would. Especially since to him, it was obvious, but Olivia tended to avoid certain topics; she liked to make things seem like they were okay when they actually weren't, and Fitz hated that, but he learned to read her. He wanted her to be honest with him, he wanted them to be honest with each other. Even if these past few weeks hadn't been good for them, at all, but he wouldn't give up. He never did and he never would.

To see Fitz alive, with her own eyes, brought her an immense amount of relief, but it wasn't enough. He was still in danger, there was still a chance that he would be attacked, or killed, and she wouldn't be fully relieved until she knew he was safe. Her dark hues rested on him, seeing the anger on his face, but then it seemed to fade with only a moment of staring at her. He knew. He knew something was wrong and she cursed herself for letting him know her so well. It was both a good and bad thing. Good because he knew her, and because he loved and cared enough to always ask how she was or if everything was okay even if he knew it wasn't. He always showed he cared and she did love it, but it was also a bad thing because she didn't like to be read so easily and it was terrifying for her considering she was someone who was closed up, who didn't know how to express herself and most of the time, she didn't want to. However, with Fitz, sometimes she felt safe doing so. Safer than with anyone else, but also more terrified at the same time.

Lately, though, things were so rocky for them and she had been more doubtful, hesitant and distant than usual. However, knowing his life was in danger, she suddenly wanted to be open with him again. She wanted to tell him everything, including how much she loved him because she almost lost that chance to do so when he was first shot, and she didn't want to lose that chance this time. But it still felt difficult to say anything. She continued to stare at him, and when he basically adjourned the meeting, Olivia stepped to the side and let everyone walk out of the room before she closed the door after Abby stepped inside and stood next to her.

Once the door was closed, Fitz turned around and let out a sigh. "Liv," He softly called her name, but then he saw her friend, Gabby, no...it was Abby, standing next to her and suddenly he remembered they weren't alone. He had to be careful.

"Miss Pope," He changed his greeting with a clear of his throat. "While I'm very curious as to why you suddenly came in here, interrupting my meeting as a result, I have to ask, what's with the scarf?" He asked with a soft chuckle, trying to play it off as if he didn't know her well. Like he didn't know something was wrong simply by the look on her face. Because if he made it seem that way, her friend would assume something and he knew Olivia didn't want that. But truthfully, Fitz always suspected her co-workers already had their assumptions about her and The President, but he wouldn't give them anymore to chew on. They knew they were close friends so a little laughing and joking here and there wouldn't seem too interesting and suspicious, would it?

"I just felt like wearing it, Mr. President." She lied with a fake smile, swallowing a little which caused her throat to tighten and hurt a little more.

"Fair enough, I guess. What brings you to my office?" He asked, raising his brows out of curiosity before folding his arms across his chest; not really buying into her excuse for wearing that scarf.

"I..." She tried to think of a good excuse, glancing at Abby for a moment and then back at Fitz. "I heard you were having a meeting and I wondered why I wasn't part of it." She lied again, and Abby's jaw practically fell open. "Being your Campaign Manager, I should be part of these meetings, shouldn't I?" She asked, trying to act a little upset.

"Liv!" She said, as if telling her to tell him what was really going on. Olivia ignored her, though, and just stared at Fitz; trying to seem serious and as truthful as possible.

"Alright..." He said with a chuckle in disbelief, obviously not believing her. "One, because I didn't think you wanted to be part of it and it wasn't something that I needed you for, and second, I don't believe you. What's really going on, Olivia?" He asked, unable to hold back using her real name. Whenever he did that, it meant he was serious about something. That he wasn't playing around and Olivia knew that. Her body tensed a little as she debated whether to tell him or not.

"Tell him, Liv." Abby encouraged her, and the brunette fixer just stared at Fitz before shaking her head.

"There's nothing to tell. I – " She began, but Fitz interrupted.

"Tell me." He demanded. Olivia contemplated telling Fitz. She needed to, she /had/ to, but she didn't know where to start or how to start. Or what all to say. 'I took down B-613 and Jake almost killed me for it and you might die because of my mother.' She said in her mind. That would be the /worst/ thing to say, actually. So, she tried to think of something else to start with, but then Abby spoke up.

"You're in danger, Mr. President." Abby blurted out and Fitz quirked a brow. Olivia shot her a disapproving look and Abby shook her head at Liv.

"No, he /needs/ to know, Liv! Not just because it's his life, but also because he's The President and your mother is a terrorist." She said, noting Liv's look but not caring about it.

"In danger how exactly?" He asked, not seeming to be scared., but more confused than anything.

"Marie Wallace. Liv's mom." She said and Fitz's eyes widened before he looked at Liv with a puzzled look. But before either one of them could say anything, Abby continued on. "Apparently Marie has been building some huge bomb that she's been saving for you. B-613 had been investigating it and -" That's when Fitz cut in.

"B-613!?" He shouted, his eyes looking at Abby and then at Liv. Clearly, he didn't seem happy about that.

"Abby!" Olivia shouted, too, as if warning Abby to stop talking.

"No, Liv. Gladiator, remember? We don't run. He needs to know. He's the President, and he needs to know." Abby wasn't backing down from this, so she continued on. It was her turn to take charge right now, especially if Liv wouldn't. "We've been investigating B-613, trying to find a way to shut them down for good," She continued and Liv shook her head with her eyes closed. Fitz looked unhappy, angry even. Furious.

"I thought I told you /not/ to investigate B-613, Liv. You told me you were going to stay out of it." He said through almost gritted teeth. She had lied to him, again, and she put herself in danger by investigating the deadly organization that Fitz, himself, wanted to take down. That Fitz specifically asked her to stay away from because of how dangerous it was. He knew Olivia could handle herself, but it didn't change how he feared for her life or how protective he was over her.

"What? When did this happen?" Abby asked, completely confused as she looked between them. They already talked about B-613? Clearly, there were a lot of things Abby didn't know. That no one else probably knew, either.

"Don't worry about it, Abby. Fitz, look, I did what I had to do. That organization-" She tried, but couldn't continue due to Abby cutting in with a sassy comment.

"Fitz? So, you two are on a first name basis now?" This was weird, and interesting, but also amusing and she couldn't help the very small grin that appeared on her face.

Ignoring Abby's question, Fitz and Liv continued to stare at one another and it was his turn to speak again. "I know B-613 needed to be taken down, Liv. I have been saying that for months and I had my plans for it, which is why I appointed Jake as Command. Because I trusted him, but that was obviously a wrong and stupid move because of what he has done so far. It was dangerous and reckless to do this, Liv. You could have been killed!" He was angry, but more so because she could have been hurt, or even worse. Even though he didn't think Jake would do anything to harm her, but little did he know, he was wrong. There was so much he didn't know about Ballard.

"Wait, /you/ put that asshole as Command? The guy that slammed Liv into a wall and choked her!?" Abby blurted out and both Olivia's and Fitz's eyes shot wide.

"Abby!" She shouted loudly, angry that Abby had said that. The one thing she didn't want Fitz to know, not yet. And probably not ever, but now he did and he knew that was going to set Fitz off.

He stood there with wide eyes. His face going pale, his hands clenching tightly as his body became tense. Anger started boiling within him. Did he hear that right? He /choked/ Olivia? Jake Ballard put his hands on Olivia, pushed her against a wall and /choked/ her? He put his hands on her and physically /hurt/ her? Fitz had never felt so angry in his life. He was damn sure of that. He had never wanted to kill anyone more than in this moment. How dare that son of a bitch put his hands on Olivia and hurt her! He had never felt so angry, so vengeful, and so hateful. The thought of /anyone/ hurting Olivia made his blood boil. /No one/ hurt Olivia. No one ever hurt the woman he loved more than anything in this world and if anyone did, they would sure as hell hear about it. Maybe even /feel/ about it. Call him brutal if you will, but this was Olivia. The love of his life, and a /woman/. He was allowed to feel this angry about what happened; he was allowed to be protective.

Olivia could see the blood thirsty look on Fitz's face right after Abby revealed that information to him. She had never seen Fitz so angry before, she had never seen him speechless or so tense like this. From where she was standing, she could see how tense he was and his clenched fists gave it away.

"Fitz – " Olivia began, but was cut off.

"Take off your scarf." He said quietly at first, but strictly.

"What?" Liv asked, frowning.

"Take off your scarf." He repeated, a little louder this time.

"Fitz, you – "

"Take off the damn scarf, Olivia!" Fitz shouted much louder this time, with anger and it caused both her and Abby to flinch. But it wasn't anger directed at her. It was just this whole situation. It was Jake and Olivia knew that.

She shot Abby a look and then tossed her purse on the white couch with a sigh before she began to undo the scarf from around her neck. Once it was off, she tossed it on the couch next to her purse and looked at him. What she saw, surprised her and it caused her lips to curl downwards into a deep frown, her heart breaking.

His blue eyes filled with tears at the sight of her neck. The red marks, the hand prints, the bruising. He felt sick to his stomach, angry, sickened, and hateful. How could anyone do that to her? And what did she do in return? Did she fight back? Did anyone fight for her? Was she alone? The thought of her being alone only made him angrier. Jake Ballard, someone who was easily taller and bigger than Olivia, slamming her up against the wall and choking her? What kind of fucked up man was he? What kind of pathetic and weak man was he? Fitz never expected that from him, and though he felt dislike towards Jake for having feelings for Olivia, for also sleeping with her, he never thought he would do this. He never thought he would actually hurt Olivia. But now his feelings were beyond dislike. They were hate; even beyond that. He never hated someone so much in his life. He never wanted to hurt someone so badly.

"Where is he?" He asked, his eyes staring at her neck for a few long moments before forcing them away from her neck to look into her eyes. "Is he at B-613 headquarters right now?" He asked, obviously having the intention to go there and 'have a word' with him. His voice, his expression, everything about him right now gave it away.

"Why do – " Then she realized it. It was obvious. "/No/. Fitz, don't even think about it. You're obviously thinking of going over there, and you /can't/. Not only would it look really bad for you to storm out of here, angrily, looking as if you're out to kill someone, but you would be putting yourself in danger." She refused to let him go. She didn't want him going out there angry like this, and she didn't want him out there period because of his life being in danger.

"Screw my image, screw my life." He growled out. "That bastard put his hands on you and if you think he's going to get off for it, you're wrong. It is fucking sick and wrong what he did, Liv, and I am not going to just stand here and not do anything about it." He had made a move for the door, but Liv stepped in front of him.

He looked at her with his angry eyes, and her own calm ones stared right back into his. "Liv, /move/." He was hellbent on beating Jake into the ground for what he did, but when he saw Olivia's sad, pleading eyes mirror his own, his body relaxed somehow.

"/No/, Fitz. I'm not letting you go out there. I get you're angry, okay? I get it. You want to hurt him, you want to hurt him for what he did to me and I understand that but you /can't/. My mother has a bomb out there, a bomb that could kill /thousands/ of people, including you, and /you/ are her main target so I can't let you go out there! We can deal with Jake later, but right now, I /need/ to make sure that you are safe, we need to make sure she doesn't get to you and we ahve to figure out where she's at. So, /please/, don't go out there." Olivia pleaded, but also demanded. However, her eyes were filled with worry for Fitz. As was her voice. If he went out there, he would put himself in danger and she understood how he was feeling, vengeful and hateful towards Jake, and while she didn't want to protect /him/, she did want to protect Fitz. She couldn't lose him and if he went out there, that became highly probable.

Abby stood there, silent. Stunned. She was surprised at the exchange going on between them. She knew they were close, and she had her suspicions, but to actually see it was...shocking. Using their first names, expressing their concern for one another, the way they talked to each other and looked at one another; Abby had never felt more sure in her entire life that these two were more than just close friends. Her suspicions of them once having an affair, being in love, was confirmed right here and right now and no one could convince her differently. Abby could see and feel the tension, passion and love radiating off of them, and she couldn't help but feel...happy about it. Happy for Liv that she had someone who seemed to care so much about her. Who was so protective over her like this and would risk his own image, his own life, for her. It made Abby see Fitz in a whole new light and it made her respect him so much more. Yes, he was married, but it was obvious he didn't want to be. Their marriage had been dead, and there had been talks about divorce. These two were the ones in love. Olivia, one of her best friends, and The President.

Staring into his eyes, Olivia felt deep sadness and guilt swell within her. The amount of pain he was in because of the pain /she/ was in broke her heart and it only showed how much he cared about her. How he was always wanting to protect and fight for her, always wanting to risk his own image and life for her. She studied Fitz's face and she could see what he wanted right now. It wasn't just to hurt Jake. It was...

"Abby, could you give us a minute?" Liv asked without even looking at her and Abby nodded, understanding exactly what she meant.

"Of course. I'll be outside." She informed Liv, who nodded as the redhead made her exit.

Olivia looked behind her to make sure the door was closed and then she looked at Fitz. This time, tears were falling from his eyes; rolling down his angry red cheeks. With a deep frown, she moved over to him and placed her hands on both sides of his face and gazed deeply into his ocean blue eyes. "Fitz, look at me." She whispered pleadingly, his eyes looking at her neck again. But a moment later, his eyes locked with hers and she felt her heart flutter powerfully from the intense eye contact. The eyes she could feel comforted by just with one look. "I'm fine, okay? I promise." She assured him softly, her thumbs stroking both of his wet cheeks, wiping away the tears.

"Fine? Liv, he could have killed you! And he's out there doing God knows what, planning his next move on what to do to you next! You're /not/ fine. You're hurt, you're in pain, you're in danger. You're not fine." Fitz said as he pulled away, which surprised Olivia, but she knew he was shocked and angry. Worried and upset. He had every right to be.

"I know what he could have done, but he didn't. He was -"

"Don't. Don't you dare try to justify what he did to you. Nothing warrants him choking you, Olivia. Nothing warrants him putting his hands on you and causing you physical harm!" He shouted and Olivia nodded in understanding. He was right.

"I'm not Fitz. But he /did/ find my mother, and when we shut down B-613, he lost the surveillance and any clues to finding her, thus putting you in even more danger. Because of /me/." She sighed, the guilt about that settling in. The guilt about how she blew their chances of finding her mother; the guilt of putting the man she loved in danger.

"I don't care. It still does /not/ justify what that bastard did to you." He said, angrily, protectively as his eyes fell to her neck again. He couldn't stop staring at those angry red marks on her neck and he wanted nothing more than to make them go away. He wanted nothing more than to heal her. He wanted to beat Jake, but more than anything, he wanted to take away her pain.

"You're right, it doesn't. But I could have killed you." She said, her voice cracking slightly at the thought. "I...could have...I /did/ jeopardize your life because what I did and...that's why I came down here. I kept thinking about the shooting and how I almost lost you..." Her eyes closed, trying to hold back her own tears that threatened to come forth. But Fitz knew where she was getting at. She was scared. She was scared of him dying, scared of losing him, and it was the same exact fear he shared for her. Every day.

Suddenly, she felt his hand on her neck. It didn't scare her, it didn't even hurt or make her flinch. It felt...good. Nice. She opened her eyes and found him right in front of her now; only inches of air separating their bodies and face. She could practically feel and hear his heart beat, and he could probably hear and feel hers. His right hand was on her neck, his fingers skimming over her red skin ever so delicately as if he was afraid to cause her more harm. He was being so gentle, so delicate, and so loving and she felt her eyes water because of this moment. Because of him. It helped soothe the burning pain she was feeling and she leaned into his hand, craving his touch more and more. It was amazing how his touch could affect her so strongly and so quickly; how his touch could bring her so much relief and comfort. She already felt better because of him. With him.

After a few more moments of running his fingers along her neck, he leaned his head down towards it and ever so softly, pressed his lips to her skin. Delicately once again. It wasn't meant to be sexual or seductive. It was meant to be comforting, sweet, and assuring. He was trying to kiss her pain away, trying to assure her that he wouldn't let /him/, or anyone else, hurt her again. He wanted to kiss every red mark on her skin away, he wanted to take her pain away and he was trying so hard to make that happen. While also apologizing that this happened to her, even feeling guilty for it.

Her throat vibrated with a soft moan, letting him know how good that felt and how much she loved him for this. How sweet she found it. The way he was kissing her, the way he was showing his love, care and protectiveness for her. Never had she felt like this in her life. So loved and cared for, so protected and safe. It was a feeling she got only with Fitz and she realized that more and more each day. Not to mention her fear of losing him, the thought of never having him in her life was...devastating. She couldn't stand that thought, especially not now that he was actually in danger.

Her hand came up to the back of his head, her fingers brushing through his dark curls before her face fell into his hair; her tears mixing with his dark locks. She felt his own tears fall onto her neck, creating a much needed cool sensation on her skin accompanied with his gentle lips. Her lips brushed against his hair, and her other arm slipped around his middle to hug him against her and his arms did the same while his lips continued to massage her neck.

This is what she needed. Him. He was all she never needed whenever she was hurt or scared or sad. She was all she ever needed even when she was happy because he made her happy. He made her feel the most loved and cared for, the most safe. Her love for him grew in this moment because he was once again proving his deep love and care for her, a love and care she believed he always had for her and a love and care that would never go away, no matter what she tried to tell herself. Just like hers for him would never go away either no matter how hard she tried. The thought of his shooting came back into her mind and she let her arms hug him tighter. She almost lost him, and she could lose him for good this time, but there was no way in hell that would happen. She would be lost without him, her life would be nothing without him just like he told her he was nothing without her. She couldn't let her mother take him away, she couldn't let anyone take him away. She loved, wanted and needed him more than anything and no matter how bad things seemed right now, that wouldn't change. She was sure of it now. She refused to lose him.

They stayed in the Oval Office for a while longer, just holding one another. Thankful that each of them were still alive while conveying through their embrace, kisses, and silent touches that they would protect, defend and love each other no matter what. They were in this together.