A/N: hey, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone following the new story! And thanks for all the reviews, I really appreciate alll of the feedback and it gives me inspiration. As far as the timeline, I think I mightve screwed up a little bit :( lol but basically, when Olivia left for college was last time she saw her aunt. Current time, she just finished her second year of law school, so that's about six years, not 7, my fault! I swear I really thought about before but still messed it up lol, forgive me! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!


Fitz woke up with a start to the deep boom of thunder. Oh boy, he thought as he peered out of the window and saw lightning strike far off in the distance. Fitz liked the rain, he found it calming, but only when he didn't have to go out in it. The commencement ceremony was set take place on Killian Court, rain or shine, and he definitely was not looking forward to the mud and bugs the precipitation would undoubtedly bring.

He looked over at the time and saw that it was almost eight o'clock. Harrison's ceremony was set to begin at eleven-fifteen, but he wondered if there was likely to be a delay. If there was, that would be fine with Fitz, as it would give him a little more time to mentally prepare himself before he had to face the day.

As much excited anticipation as he felt about seeing Harrison walk across the stage and receive his degree, Fitz felt an equal amount of dread about the impending lunch date to follow. He couldn't kick the nagging feeling that it was going to be far from enjoyable, and that the whole ordeal was a bad idea. Nevertheless, the last thing Fitz wanted to do was discourage Olivia from getting the closure, or whatever it was that she as looking to gain out of this meeting, that she felt that she needed. It was his job to support her, so that what was he planned to do.

Nevertheless, he had made it clear to both Olivia and Harrison that one thing he wasn't going to tolerate was disrespect. It wasn't his intention to interfere, in fact he hoped for both of their's sakes that all parties involved could remain civil and hash things out, but if the claws came out, he would be forced to intervene. Fitz wasn't going to allow anyone, regardless of relation, to hurt his Livi or make her cry; he just couldn't allow it.

Fitz sighed again and tried to quell the burgeoning anxiety by turning his mind to other things, work primarily. It had been two days since he last stepped foot in the office and he had left Quinn in charge of overseeing things. From her e-mail updates, it seemed that things were going off without a hitch, but he liked to remain in constant contact. Fitz figured if he checked his messages now, while it was still early, he could take care of anything that was in need of his immediate attention with time to spare. It was still early enough that he could run to the office if he needed to, but knowing Quinn, it probably wouldn't be necessary.

She had come to be his right hand woman over the years and her role had evolved to surpass the somewhat arbitrary and limited duties of an assistant. Happy to put her degree to use, Quinn had worked tirelessly, offering invaluable support by sitting in on meetings and such when he had other commitments and making sure that he didn't miss a beat. In addition, he took her professional advice and had even swiped her a couple of interns to take care of some of the day to day, time consuming paperwork that came along with working within a bureaucracy. This way, she could focus on more important, upper level tasks and she had proven time and again that he had good reason to be confident in her abilities.

Fitz scanned the room quickly to locate his phone, but then realized that he had gotten so caught up last night that he had forgotten to put it on the charger, so it was likely dead. He sighed, figuring that he would need to disturb his peaceful position in order to retrieve his laptop which was still in his briefcase, out by the door in the living room. Fitz looked down at Olivia still sleeping soundly, her naked body nestled comfortably against his chest.

He ran his fingers down the small of her spine and back up again until his digits were lost in her hair. He wondered what she was dreaming about as he massaged her scalp softly, wishing he never had to move. Fitz never felt more happy or secure than when it was just the two of them laying in each other's arms, her body entangled with his.

It was like his own little slice of heaven on earth.

When his eyes caught sight of Olivia's iPad charging on her night table, however, he decided he was in luck. He had teased Olivia and Harrison for being techie addicts when the two of them had languished on a seemingly endless line outside of the Mac store for hours on end in order to be amongst the first to get the newest model of the luxury technology, but he actually had come to love the little tablet.

Fitz had originally thought that having a smart phone and a tablet was a ridiculously redundant. Nevertheless, he found himself using the thing almost more often than Olivia did, and the more fluent he became in its usage, the more he liked it. The wide screen with its bright retina display was much easier on his aging eyes than the small screen of his iPhone and a lot more convenient than lugging around a briefcase with his comparatively large laptop.

Yeah, I'm going to have to grab one of these for myself, Fitz thought to himself as he punched her pass code into the lock screen.

The home page on the Safari browser hadn't even fully loaded yet when a pop up notification from Facebook stopped him in his tracks.

Message from: R.J. Wilder

I hope I'm not coming on too strong, but I really need to see you again...

A portion of the unread message appeared on the screen and the ellipses told him that there was more content awaiting any willing reader. The pop-up box demanded that he make a choice before moving on: Launch or Close.

To read, or not to read, that was the question.

Before he could fully even consider the implication of what he was doing, Fitz clicked launch. He could feel the red-hot heat rising to his ears and a pit of anxiety taking hold in his stomach.

Fitz felt the insane urge to throw the tablet across the room so that it shattered against the wall, but stopped himself before he acted irrationally. He needed to know.

Coming on too strong? See her again? What the fuck is going on?! His mind raced, trying to consider all of the possibilities. Fitz racked his brain, trying to recall if Olivia had ever mentioned an R.J. to him, but came up blank.

It's nothing, his conscious tried to tell him. She loves you, she's happy with you, she would never-

He couldn't bear to even think the words. Fitz focused his eyes on the screen so that he could read the rest of the message and he felt as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest.

I'm sorry if I'm coming on too strong, but I need to see you again and soon. I realize now that my approach may have erred on the side of creepiness, but just give me a chance to explain. I really don't want to do this over Facebook. I'm sure I sounded nuts, but I'm normal, I swear, and I'm not lying. I have proof. It was really good to see you and I know you felt the connection too. Here's my number, Call me, 617-518-6666

Fitz read and reread the message half a hundred times, his fingers clutching the edge of the iPad so much intensity that the tips turned ghostly white. He was trying to calm himself down, but he couldn't stop the clenching of his jaw and he was sure the color of his face and ears were some variation of scarlet. Consumed by rage, he couldn't hold off on waking her up any longer.

"Olivia," he shook her, "Livi, wake up!"

"Hmm, baby, what," she groaned.

"Who the fuck is R.J. and why is he saying he needs to see you, 'again?!' What the hell is going on?!"

"What in the world are you talking about?" Olivia mumbled, rolling over onto her side and blocking her ears from his loudness with a pillow.

He snatched the pillow off of her head in frustration, "Who the hell is R.J. and what 'connection' is he talking about, OLIVIA?!"

She finally opened her eyes and looked up at him with an expression of annoyed defiance, "Fitz, number one, lower your voice. It's way, way too early in the morning for this." She yawned, "Number two, it's not how it sounds, so just relax, okay."

"Then what the hell is it and why is he messaging you?!" Fitz demanded, still not satisfied.

"I don't know you, Fitz, you tell me, you know, since you clearly read my inbox? Why are you reading my messages, anyway?"

"I just..the notification popped up...Don't change the subject, okay, just who the hell is he and what is he talking about?!"

She chuckled and sat up on one elbow, her expression changing to one of amusement, "No shame at all for invading my privacy, eh?"

"Olivia, I'm being serious."

She sighed and put a hand on his chest, "Baby, he's just some weirdo I ran into at the bowling alley. He...it's weird. He claims that we're related, somehow. That he's brother, well, it would be my half brother, or something ridiculous like that."

"What?" Fitz asked incredulously, that was the last thing he expected to hear. "How in the world?"

She sighed, "I don't know and I honestly didn't put too much thought into it, because it's so utterly ridiculous. He caught my attention because he addressed me by Pope and not Grant. He knew my mother's first name, too...said he saw some letters. Supposedly there's a connection between my mom and his dad."

"Do you think it's possible? I thought your father was deceased?"

"Me too, but who knows Fitz. The older I get, the more I realize that there's a lot I didn't know about my mom. I guess it's possible, but I really don't know. Anything is possible, I guess."

"Aren't you curious?" Fitz asked hesitantly.

"I...I'm not sure and the more I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure I want to know. It might be like opening Pandora's box. If my mother went through the trouble of leading me to believe he was dead, maybe there was a good reason why she kept me away from him. Sometimes it's best to let sleeping dogs lie, but then again..." She shook her head, "Anyway, Huck said he was going to look into it for me. Until he says something, I'm going to try not to think about it too much."

"Understood..." he replied, but he felt like a genuine jackass. He had jumped to conclusions and woke her up out of her sleep like a madman. "Livi, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have overreacted like that and it wasn't right for me to just read your private messages, but it just kinda popped up. I know that's not a good excuse," he confessed sheepishly, "but something just came over me."

She slid her hand up his chest to cup his jaw, "Fitz, I love you."

He kissed her forehead, "I know."

"You have to trust me."

He kissed her palm, "I do, you know I do. It's those other guys I don't trust."

She chuckled, "Fitz, that's part of trusting me. I honestly don't care if you want to use my iPad or my phone, or something, and things pop up because I don't have anything to hide from you. I just wish you didn't feel like you needed to read it, because I would never, ever hurt you that way. Never."

"I know, I just. I'm crazy."

She placed his hand on her hip, over her freshly inked tattoo, "Baby, no one could ever compare to you. No one could ever even try." She looked over her shoulder at the clock before kissing his chin. "We should start getting up, I still need to do my hair and stuff. Care to join me in the shower, Mr. Grant?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Mrs Grant."


The commencement ceremony was long and drawn out like most processions had a tendency to be, but at the very least, Olivia had enjoyed the guest speaker. Another bright point was that the weather had held and not one drop of rain had fallen during the entire ceremony. In fact, the sun had even poked its head out for a short while as the graduates had begun crossing the stage to shake hands with the college's president. Olivia and Fitz had hollered at the top of their lungs when the announcer had called Harrison's name and she could see his bright smile as he accepted his diploma, even from her place far away from the stage.

Now, they were on the way to lunch. Giving Harrison some time to take photos with friends and say his last goodbyes, the group had planned to meet an hour after the ceremony was over, and that time had since elapsed.

Olivia stared out of the window as Fitz navigated the dreary streets in the direction of the popular restaurant where their looming lunch would take place. It was one of Olivia and Harrison's favorite eateries, but at the current moment the last thing on her mind was eating. Olivia was beginning to have second thoughts.

On the outside, she had appeared confident that she could handle being in her Aunt's presence, but her inner resolve was quickly lessening.

She felt Fitz lift her hand off of the center console and bring her palm to his lips. "You sure you're up for this?" he asked gently, as if he could read her mind and feel her hesitation.

"Yeah," she answered unconvincingly and he took his eyes off of the road for a moment to glance at her.

"Really?"

"It's too late to back out now. Plus, it's not about me. It's about Harrison. It's his special day and she's his mother. He shouldn't have to choose between who celebrates he with. We're all adults and we should all be able to be civil and coexist in the same space. Not to mention, I do have questions."

"Questions?"

"Yeah...especially given recent revelations. If my mother would have confided in anyone about this Rowan Wilder guy, it would have been to my aunt. They were really close. If there's something there, she'll know, and I'm going to ask. She at least owes me that much."


Harrison was already there awaiting the couple at the bar when they reached the restaurant, and to Olivia's pleasure, her aunt wasn't present yet. He was nursing a slim highball glass and Olivia could tell that it likely wasn't his first, but since it was graduation she decided she wouldn't reprimand him for day drinking.

"Fitz! Liv!" He hopped off his stool excitedly to greet them. "Mom's not here yet, lucky for us. She dropped Patty off at the hotel because she's feeling under the weather. Thank God for small miracles. As you can see, it's packed in here, so we'll have to wait until our full party arrives to be seated."

"Congratulations," Fitz patted him on the back. "I'm proud of you, Harry. Not that I ever doubted that you could do it, but I'm proud nonetheless."

Olivia threw an arm around his neck from the other side and kissed his cheek, "I can't believe my little Harry is all grown up! Congrats! This is just the beginning."

"Thanks guys, what's that?" He asked with a small smile, motioning at the large bag in Fitz's hand.

"We come bearing gifts, of course," Fitz answered with a smile, handing him the presents. "Just some stuff we figured you could use on your journey to adulthood and gainful employment."

Harrison chuckled as he pulled put the black box on top of the larger gift box and opened it. "Whoaaa! What a sick watch! This is crazy, I love it! Thanks so much, I know you picked this out Fitz, no offense Liv."

"None taken," she smiled. "Fitz is the watch guy."

"You're very welcome. A classic watch for a classic man."

"Now open the other one, that's from me," Olivia urged.

Harrison opened up the larger box to reveal a clearly very well made, and very expensive suit. "Jesus, Liv, this is...guys. I could just cry."

"You like it?!"

"I love it! I'm going to look like a million bucks in this watch and this suit!" Harrison exclaimed.

"That's the point," Fitz laughed.

"C'mon, let me buy you guys a drink, and none of that sissy ass red wine, either, Olivia."

"You know I hate the taste of liquor, Harrison," she reminded him.

"It's my day, you can make a sacrifice."

She rolled her eyes playfully, "Okay, this once. What do you suggest?"

"Bartender, let me get a round of José!"

"Shots?! No," Olivia shook her head vigorously.

"There's a lemon slice for the taste. Shit, you better revel in this shot, girl, you know we're about to need it," he chuckled.

"True," she agreed just as the bartender slid the glasses their way.

No sooner than they had downed their shots than Harrison had called for another round.

"Slow your roll, cowboy," Olivia tried to halt him. "At least let me get a pic of my two favorite guys in the whole wide world, first."

"Too late, it's here," he grinned. The threesome quickly downed the second round and Fitz wrapped his arm around Harrison's shoulder for the photo.

"Say cheese!" Olivia exclaimed and they both smiled brightly, but after the flash had gone off, Harrison's face dropped suddenly. His eyes stared over her shoulders, looking towards the entrance of the establishment.

"She's heeere," he mumbled as Olivia stepped back and turned around just in time to face her. Without hesitation, Fitz's arms were encircling her waist, supporting her. Olivia had expected to feel something when she saw the woman again for the first time in so many years, but she just felt cold.

Her aunt give her a curt smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Olivia. How nice to finally see you again," she addressed her tersely. "Harrison, where is our table?"

"We had to wait for you before we could get one."

"And who is this distinguished, older gentleman?" She asked, acknowledging Fitz. Her eyes lingered pointedly on his fingers resting on Olivia's waist.

"This is my husband, Fitz. Fitz, this is Harrison's mom, Tiffany," Olivia finally spoke, purposely not mentioning their direct relationship.

"Harrumph, husband? Is that right?" She smirked.

"It is," Fitz smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He held out a hand to shake and she took it unemphatically.

"So, Olivia, where is the baby?" Aunt Tiffany asked sweetly. "Why didn't you bring it?"

"There isn't one, yet," Olivia answered politely, but she could feel the underlying insult.

"So you two just married for the sake of being married?" She asked incredulously and Olivua felt Fitz's body tense up behind her.

Luckily, the hostess noticed them then, "Is this your full party of four?"

"Yes!" Harrison answered for the group, a little too eagerly. Nevertheless, they were all happy for the distraction.

This is going swell already, Olivia thought to herself sarcastically as they followed the woman to a small table near the front of the restaurant.

Once they were seated, her aunt picked up where she had left off.

"So, where did you two meet?" she inquired.

Fitz covered Olivia's hand with his and spoke up, "At Harvard."

Aunt Tiffany quirked one eyebrow,"You're a student there as well?"

"Uh, no. I teach there."

She chuckled, "Don't tell me you were his student, Olivia?"

"I didn't come here for an interrogation," Olivia replied irritatedly, not willing to go there with the woman.

"Well what did you come here for, then? I kind of thought maybe you came to apologize and make amends, but I'd rather hear it straight from you."

"Me? Apologize? To you?" Olivia laughed mirthlessly. "Harrison said you hadn't changed, but I was hoping he was mistaken. I came because today is about Harrison. We should be focusing on his victory."

"As opposed to?" Her aunt challenged her.

"As opposed to focusing on your failures as a parent and guardian," Olivia clarified, refusing to back down.

Harrison chuckled and Fitz sipped his water.

"Your mother would be rolling in her grave if she could see you now. The both of you, actually," she spat, looking from Olivia to Harrison.

"Right. And she wasn't rolling in her grave at you allowing your husband to beat me like a drum and try to sneak into my room. Is that what you're saying?" Olivia fired back.

Aunt Tiffany crossed her arms and shook her head slowly. "Same old song and dance with you. When will the lies stop, Olivia? Darryl is a good man and he has a whole lot of woman in me. He has no need for children. I was so angry with you for a long time, but now it's clear, you're sick in the head,-"

"Now that's enough. There's not going to be any name calling," Fitz interjected.

"No, Fitz, it's fine, let her talk. I really want to hear this," Olivia patted his arm to assure him that she was okay.

"You-you're sick," her aunt stammered, "and you need help. You have the devil in you and you should see someone concerning it. Olivia, I forgive you for all the lies and pain you put me through, put our family through. I even forgive you for turning my only baby against me. The devil is strong, not all of us have it within us to fight him. I'm praying for you."

"Thank you," Olivia replied politely and her aunt gave her a confused look.

"What?"

"I said, thank you. Your prayers and thoughts are much appreciated and I hope you know I'm sending those right back your way, because you clearly need them. I forgive you, I honestly do, because hurt people hurt people, and clearly you're very damaged. I know what it's like to be damaged so I can relate. It's clear that somewhere in the past, someone hurt you and no one helped you or believed and you're taking it out on me."

Olivia could see her aunt turning crimson with fury, but she kept going anyway. "I'm not holding it against you. I sincerely hope that one day you find the peace within yourself that I have in the past few years. Not all of us have it within us to obtain that. So with that, I hope we can move forward and have a pleasant lunch. Since we're moving forward in the direction of forgiveness, I was hoping maybe you could answer something for me."

"Why should I answer anything for you?" The woman growled.

"I thought it was a new day and we were acting with the spirit of forgiveness?" Olivia asked innocently.

Aunt Tiffany crossed her arms and sat back in her chair, "Ask away."

"What was Rowan Wilder's relationship to my mother?"

A strained expression covered her aunt's face momentarily, but she quickly recovered. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're a liar," Harrison mumbled.

"What did you say, boy?"

"I said you're a liar," Harrison emphasized and no sooner than the words had left his lips than his mother delivered a swift backhand across his face. The people at the neighboring tables openly gawked and whispered, but Harrison just smirked.

"You feel better, now? You're still lying. Liv, we both know that when she gets that quirk in her forehead and her nostrils flare, that she's lying. But you're not going to get anything out of her, whoever the guy is. The bottom line is that my mother has always been more concerned with finding me a new daddy than being a good mommy. Of course she would choose his pathetic ass over you, shit, she'd choose him over me, too."

His mother turned to him and Olivia could see her eyes brimming with tears, "Harry, who are you?"

"I'm exactly who you raised me to be," he replied simply.

His mother gathered her purse and stood, "I'm done with this. I'm done with you. Both of you. Even the Lord himself couldn't save you poor heathens. I'm leaving."

"Bye," Olivia and Harrison both replied in unison and the older woman stormed off.

"Well," Harrison sighed, "I guess that takes care of that."


Harrison breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the front door closed behind him. It was over. He was finally free. From school, from his mother, from everything. It still all felt surreal, but once it actually sunk in, he hoped he could handled the fallout. He had just slipped off his shoes when Huck's form appeared in the threshold of the living room hallway.

"How was commencement?"

"Long and boring, but it's over now," Harrison grinned. "I'm a free man."

Huck nodded, "Sorry about not attending, you know how I hate crowds, it makes me nervous."

"No harm, no foul. You didn't even attend your own high school graduation, I expected nothing less. You didn't miss much," Harrison admitted.

"And lunch?"

"Lunch was...interesting. Emancipatory."

Huck nodded again, but didn't comment. "I got you something, well, made you something."

"Thanks, you didn't have to do that."

"Well, it's from both me and Quinn. Maybe I should've waited until she got here to give to you, but whatever. We made you a cool signal scrambler."

"Awesome, thanks Huck. How about you can give it to me twice, I'll feign surprise."

Huck chuckled, "Nice idea. It's in the computer room, come with me, I'm in there working now."

"What you working on?"

"Identifying Liv's brother," Huck replied nonchalantly.

"Her what? The hell you talking bout?"

"Oh, she hasn't spoken to you about it? Some clown we ran into outside of the bowling alley. You were too busy getting your grind on to notice our absence, I guess," Huck teased.

"Well, you know how I do," he laughed. "But what kind of foolishness is this?"

"It looks like maybe her dead dad isn't so dead. He goes by the name of Rowan Wilder."

"Ohhh, that's why she was asking my mom about the dude. I was so pissed at my mother I didn't even bother to inquire about who he was afterwards. Now it makes sense. What makes him think that he's her dad, though?"

"Well, the guy claims that his dad and her mom hooked up way back while she was working on his campaign for Governor. Look at these pictures here, from the campaign trail. That lady looks like Olivia, do you recognize her?"

"Yep...that's definitely my Aunt Lisa."

"So, that fact checks out so far. I'm not really sure how deep she wants me to go, but listen, the guy was married when he and her mom worked together. The R.J. kid has an older brother who's only about, four months younger than Olivia."

"Damn it, are you serious? Dude was living foul."

"Yeah, how do you think she's going to take it? If it's true, that is."

"Stoically, of course. But it's definitely going to burn," Harrison admitted. Of all the circumstances under which to be born, he was sure that wasn't the one she was hoping for.

"I know, that's why I want to be completely sure he's the right guy before taking her on that emotional roller coaster, but I'm still working on how to proceed from here. Quinn's gonna come over after work and help. I could use some help, now, actually, if you're up to it," Huck offered.

"A little later, maybe. To be honest, I'm kind of beat. My mind is kaput and I probably wouldn't be much good to you right now. It's been a long day. I want to do something mindless. I need a drink. This guy, though, this guy bothers me. What do you think his angle is? If this is even true, which I highly doubt, why is he showing up now? And does his father even know he's out digging up old secrets?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I was thinking of stealthily tryna get a hair sample or some other type of DNA."

"Why don't we just call Maury? He's an old pro at this. 'In the case of twenty-three year old Olivia Pope, Rowan Wilder, you are not the father!' Heavy emphasis on the not, though," Harrison laughed.

Huck chuckled, "You never quit, do you?"

"I'm too legit to quit, Huck. I thought you knew," Harrison replied, jumping up as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it. I haven't seen Quinn a couple days, anyway. I'm sure she's missing my face!"

Harrison slid down the hall in a mad dash to the door, but when he opened it, the woman on the other side of the door certainly wasn't Quinn.

She was beautiful.

Not that Quinn wasn't pretty, in her own way, but the woman in front of him was breathtaking, possessing a regal kind of beauty. She looked like she ought to be a queen, or at least a princess, with her immaculate, long braids up in a bun that gave the perception of a crown. Her face was free of makeup, except about the eyes where dramatic eyeliner accented the sharp, almond shape of her eyes. Harrison didn't know who she was, but he definitely intended to find out.

"Hello," he greeted her warmly, finding himself short on words for once.

"Hey you," she replied, staring at him expectantly. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Uh," he side eyed her, "do I know you from someplace?"

She threw her head back and laughed as if he had just told the funniest joke on earth. "Come on, Harrison, I don't even look the least bit familiar?"

"I'm sorry," he began to apologize as he racked his brain.

"We met the other day? At the bowling alley?" She tried to jog his memory.

"Oohhh, yeah, come on in," Harrison feigned remembrance. He vaguely remembered dancing with someone, and maybe making out, but that's where his memory of the night ended. The girl in front of his was beautiful, though, and he could see why even in his drunken state, he would have been attracted to her.

"I kind of figured that you were blacked when you didn't call. You promised that you would."

Harrison chuckled, "I'm sincerely embarrassed. I can't see how I could ever forget someone who looks like you."

She grinned, "Neither do I."

Just then Huck entered the living room. "Oh, I was just wondering what was taking you guys so long. Hi Abra."

"Awesome, at least someone remembers me. Hi, Huck."

"Hey," he waved before turning back around to leave.

Abra began circling the living room, eyeing their decorations and furniture. "Nice place, is it just you two guys here?"

"Yep, just us. Not to be rude, just wondering, how did you know where I lived?"

"You told me, silly. I was just walking over in the park and I realized your place wasn't too far off, so I took a chance."

"Walking? In the rain?" Harrison asked incredulously.

"It's tranquil. It's nice to feel the rain on your skin every once in a while, don't you think?"

He shrugged, "I guess. I'm not really much of a nature person, though."

Abra turned around from observing the painting on an adjacent wall to face him squarely, "Well, that's very unfortunate. Nature is beautiful, Harrison, and it's where we belong. This house, this civilization, this society, it's all ephemeral, at best, and destructive, at worst. Nature is everlasting. Nature is love. Only in nature can one truly understand what it means to be human. So, no, I can't accept that you're not a nature person. We're all nature people. You just haven't seen it from the right perspective yet," she insisted.

"Wow, you're really passionate about this, huh?" he smiled.

"The world would be a much better place if we all were, don't you think?" Harrison nodded and she slipped off her coat, hanging it on the nearby coat rack.

"Show me your room," she suggested forwardly and Harrison obliged, grinning as he led her down the hall.

This girl is strange as hell, but I think I like it.

Without hesitation, Jessica flopped onto Harrison's bed and laid back on her elbows. "This is cool," she complimented him casually, looking around. Harrison had fashioned his room after the cosmos and recreated the Milky Way on his ceiling, which most people enjoyed the aesthetic of.

"Thanks," he replied as he sat on the edge of the bed. "I wasn't expecting company, or else I would've cleaned up a bit."

"Don't worry about it. I prefer 'lived in' spaces. I like to see the way the room flows, organically. It says a lot about the person."

He chuckled, "So what does this mess say about me?"

"Hmmm...," She paused, looking around for a moment. "It says that right now, at least, your life is a bit chaotic. You're feeling...indecisive and under pressure. And you're not a fan of hampers," Abra laughed and scooted a bit closer to him. She placed the palm of her hands on his face, "Something about you today seems...heavier, than when I last saw you."

Harrison looked down at himself, "Are you trying to tell me I've gained weight?"

She giggled, "No, silly, I meant, your aura. Your spiritual burden."

"Oh, yeah, that." He sighed, "I had an altercation with my mom today, and yesterday, shit, the past few years have pretty much been one big fight. I went in on her, let her have it."

"You feel regretful?" Abra inquired.

"In some ways, not so much in others. I meant the things I said, I just wish that the circumstances were different so that I never had to say them at all," Harrison explained without going into too much detail.

"Ah, the joys of family life. I can't say that I can't relate."

"Your family chuck full o' nuts too?"

"No, but I kind of wish it were so. I come from a family of very well to do, class conscious kind of people. Everyone has letters behind their name and they're forever frowning over their spectacles at anyone who doesn't. My family is originally from Ghana, very big on education and all, so it was law, science or bust for me. It was a big deal."

"So what did you choose?"

"Bust," she smirked wickedly. "I was a college dropout before Kanye made it cool. I made it through one and three quarters of a semester before I realized it just wasn't for me. Consequently, I was cut off and now I'm a townie. Making it in the big city all by my lonesome."

"So you don't see them at all?" Harrison asked.

"I still get invited to the family functions and whatnot, but it's extremely uncomfortable. I've always been the black sheep of the family, but school was the last straw, especially for my dad. 'It's a disgrace, a terrible, terrible, disgrace!'" she imitated her father's accent. "I'm the baby of five, the only one born in America, so they blame this country for how I turned out, but I think I would've been trouble no matter what. It's encoded in my DNA."

"You're interesting," Harrison chuckled.

"Is that so? Welp, I'm only just getting started. We can make things a lot more interesting, if your up for it. Take your mind off of your problems for awhile."

"How exactly do you propose we do that?"

"Come on a trip with me."

Harrison furrowed his brows, "Where are we going?"

She rummaged in her purse before throwing a small ziplock bag onto the bed. "To heaven."

"The hell is that?" He asked, inspecting the bag to get a closer look at its contents.

"Copelandia cyanescens."

"Huh? English, please!"

"Magic Mushrooms. Shrooms. Boomers. Whatever you wanna call it," Abra explained.

He put the bag back down on the bed, "I don't know. I think I'm good on that. I'm not much into drugs."

"Much? What have you tried?"

"I've hit a bong a couple of times, but only when I was already drunk. Just not really my thing."

"Sooooo, how do you know if it's your thing or not, if you haven't tried?"

"Uhn-uh, no, you're not gonna get me with that one," Harrison laughed. It was a line he had utilized himself many a time.

"Don't you trust me?" she asked, smiling sweetly and batting her long eyelashes.

"Not gonna lie here, nope, not really."

"Ah!" She scoffed playfully and covered her heart with both hands. "You wound me, Harrison."

"Come on, you waltzed up to my door unannounced, not that I'm complaining, and you had to reintroduce yourself. I barely even know you," Harrison explained.

"Do I look like I would steer you wrong?"

He shook his head, "Abra..."

"Hey, there's no pressure. But I promise you, it's fun and it's totally safe. I'll even go first." She took a few of caps and stems out of the bag and laid them on the bed before consuming a couple. "It'll be a night you'll never forget," she sang temptingly.

He chuckled, "I take it you've done this before?"

"A few times a year. It helps reawaken the spirit," Abra explained.

"And you're sure it's safe?"

"I'm alive and kicking, aren't I?" she fired back.

"What's it like?"

Abra sighed and laid back on the bed, "The only way I can describe it is, it's like seeing a fourth dimension, opening your third eye. It's like the universe reaches out to speaks to you and answers every question you ever knew you had."

Harrison grabbed the petals off of the bed and threw them into his mouth, scrunching his face up at the bitter, alien taste and fuzzy, crunchy texture. What the hell? Why not? He thought to himself. It's not like I have a job or someplace to be. I said I wanted to live, well here goes nothing.

"This is disgusting," Harrison groaned, grabbing a bottle of water off of his bedside table.

"Next time, we'll have it with some yogurt. It's less formidable that way," she assured him.

"If there is a next time, you mean," Harrison corrected her.

"Oh, there'll be a next time," she grinned knowingly.

"How long does it take to sink in?"

She shrugged, "Depends on your inner chemistry. Do you have a patio? We should go outside while we wait."

"Are you kidding me? It's all wet out there!"

"What, are you gonna melt, Mr. Wicked Witch?"

"Okay, okay, enough. Just let me change into something more comfortable and then we can head out."

Harrison quickly switched into some clean jeans and a pullover so that they could make their way outside. He still didn't feel anything weird or strange happening to him, but he chalked it up to his 'inner chemistry.' Once they hit the patio, however, Harrison immediately felt a difference in his body. He legs felt they were being absorbed by the ground and he could hear his heartbeat pulsating. When he around the backyard, something about the way the trees cast a shadow onto the grass was just so beautiful and breathtaking. It was as if it was his first time seeing a tree through completely new eyes.

Harrison felt Abra slip her hand small hand into his and instantly his insides warmed. "Let's go lay down on the grass," she suggested, and this time he didn't even care about the wetness. As soon as his back hit the slick green, he felt a sense of overwhelming peace and oneness. Even the gloomy gray clouds looked brighter and brilliant and he could swear they were smiling at him.

"How do you feel?" Abra whispered.

"I don't know," Harrison answered truthfully, "but I like it." He could feel every drop of blood pulsing through his veins and in his mind, his skin was firmly attached to the ground. He wasn't sure if he could ever get up, or if he ever even wanted to.

"It's kismet, Harrison. We were meant to meet, we were meant to be together in this very moment. This is what life is all about."


Harrison sat back against the pillow with a wide grin on his face as he inhaled the hookah. Abra had brought him downtown to meet up with some friends and the bass from the house music that was bumping was reverberating through his bones.

"Come on, we're going for a ride," Abra pulled him up from his sitting position and he let her lead the way. The two of them and three of her friends piled into a van and headed off, to where, Harrison had no clue. He was just enjoying the ride. He closed his eyes as he felt her hands sliding up his leg ever so slowly and her breath on his neck, but his eyelids flashed open when a distinct aroma filled his nostrils.

"Are they smoking-"

"Shhhhh, chill, don't worry," Abra whispered, taking his lobe in her ear and he immediately dropped all arguments. He could feel his heartbeat speeding up and his body responding to her touch. It didn't even matter to him that they were in the car full of people at that moment.

Whatever they're smoking and wherever they're going, I hope they take their time, Harrison thought with a smile.

When red and blue lights began playing on the inside of his eyelids, Harry opened them up to get a better visual of the hallucination. The alternating red and blue cylindrical spots playing in front of him made his stomach drop, however, once his ears registered the unmistakable 'whoop, whoop,' that made his stomach turn.

"Shit, it's the police," the driver of the car exclaimed.

"Whatever happens, you don't know anything," Abra told him with a hushed whisper.


"Baby, I don't get it," Fitz exclaimed, pausing the DVR.

"What don't you get?" Olivia asked earnestly, staring up at him as she laid across his lap on the sofa.

"Robb stark is the King in the North, right?"

"Yes," Olivia confirmed.

"So who's the king in the south?"

"King Joffrey."

"And who's the king in the west?"

She chuckled, "Babe, there is no king in the west."

"But aren't there seven kingdoms?"

"Seven kingdoms, one realm. They all pledge fealty to the Iron Throne in King's Landing."

"Okay, well explain to me how Robb is King in the North and Balon Greyjoy also wants to be king, and the Iron islands are also in the north?"

"Fitz," she muttered exasperatedly, "The Ironborn kneel to the Seastone Chair, and they've been wanting to breakaway from the Iron Throne since Greyjoy's rebellion nine years past, so that they can go back to the Old Ways. Balon's rebellion was unsuccessful, so that's why Theon was taken as a ward at Winterfell. Robert Baratheon was a usurper anyway, he actually stole the throne from the Targaryens,-"

He laughed, "I'm kidding, honey, you don't have to go over this again. I just love to see you get all worked up about these characters. It amazes me how in between all the things you had to do this past semester you managed to carve out time to watch this crazy show."

Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck, "It's based on one of my top three favorite fantasy series of all time, I can't miss it."

"Well, that definitely gives me some ideas," Fitz winked before descending on her lips. Olivia felt a chill go down her spine as he ran his tongue her bottom lip and nibbled it gently.

"Like what?" she asked breathlessly. She already had an idea, but she wanted to hear him say it.

"Like how we could play 'Come Into My Castle," Fitz smiled onto her mouth, his fingers slipping beneath the hem of her shirt to caress the soft skin on her stomach.

She laughed, "Babe, I don't think that game is quite what you think it is. But you can certainly come into my castle, any day."

"Is that right?"

"Yes," she moaned as he ground his erection into her thigh, "the throne awaits its king."

"Crown me, baby," he mumbled into her neck just as her phone rang. "Fuck, don't answer that," he groaned.

"It might be important babe," she said, grabbing the phone off of the table behind her, "but you, don't stop."

"Hello?"

A recorded voice greeted her on the other end, "This call is being recorded and monitored. I have a collect call from: Harrison Wright, an inmate at a Suffolk County Detention Facility..."


The ride to the Suffolk County Jail was mostly a blur. Olivia wasn't sure how many people she had spoken to and how many different directions she had been given, but finally, they were making progress. The bail had been paid and Harrison was being brought out from his holding cell. When she finally laid eyes on him, she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"Harry are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?" she managed to utter through the tears as she embraced him.

"I'm okay, Liv, really. I'm alright."

Olivia took his face between her hands and kissed his forehead, "Are you sure? What happened? Wait, no, don't answer that, let's get out of here first," she told him, taking him by the hand.

"Liv, wait, before we go, I need a favor. Well, another favor, a big one."

"What's up?"

"My friend, Abra, she was with me when...is there any way you could bail her out? For me? Please? I'll pay you back, I promise," Harrison pleaded.

"Harrison..."

"Please, Liv. I'm begging here."


Olivia stared in the rear view mirror on the way home, feeling completely livid. She had been scared and worried when she had first zoomed out of the house to rescue her little cousin from the County Jail, but now, she was just angry. Instead of being somber, apologetic and angry at himself, him and his little friend were whispering and giggling.

What the hell is wrong with him? Olivia thought to himself. I should have never agreed to bail that chick out!

On a whim, she hit the light switch to illuminate the car and turned around to the backseat.

"Harrison, look at me," Olivia commanded him.

He turned to her with a silly grin on his face, "What's good?"

"What the hell are you on? I know it's not alcohol, you would've been sober by now, so what the hell did you take?" she demanded.

"Scoloben cyanide," he mumbled before him and the girl began cracking up.

"Boomers," Abra answered more directly.

"What the hell is a freaking boomer?"

"Hallucinogenic mushrooms," Fitz answered.

"How do you know that?" Olivia asked incredulously.

He shrugged and smiled crookedly, "I was young once, too."

Harrison and his friend really began cracking up at that.

"What?!" Fitz demanded. "What's so funny about that?!"

"Young!" Harrison wheezed, bowled over in laughter. "He says he was young once."

Olivia shook her head, she was irritated and annoyed and now she was worried again.

"Should we take them to the hospital?"

"Nah," Fitz assured her, "They'll be alright in few hours."

"Well we shouldn't leave them to their own devices, let's take them home with us. They need not to get into any more trouble."


After changing into sleeping clothes, Olivia grabbed her pillow and cover in a huff and Fitz looked up in confusion from his spot on the bed. "Where you going?" he asked.

"Out to the living room. Someone has to watch them, Fitz, what if they have like, a seizure in their sleep, or something?"

He stood and pouted, "Baby, it's two o'clock in the morning. Can't we just go to bed? I'm really tired and I have to be to work first thing in the morning."

"I'm not stopping you," she fired back.

He plopped onto the dejectedly back onto the bed, "Livi, you know I can't rest without you. They're fine," he emphasized. "And I'm sure Harrison doesn't want you watching him hang out with his girlfriend."

"She is not his damn girlfriend, that girl is bad news. I bet she put him up to this! And he is not fine! Did you see him? He's on drugs, Fitz!"

"Olivia, please, calm down. He's not on drugs, it was wild mushrooms. It's recreational. He's not going to get strung out."

She glared at him and he knew he had put his foot in his mouth. He should have remembered that using the trigger words 'calm down' or 'overreacting' was sure to start a fight, but somehow the words had slipped out anyway.

"What the hell do hell do you mean calm down?! Calm down?! Do you not realize we just went down to the police station and bailed Harrison out of jail? While he's high as a freaking kite?! If anything, you're not upset enough! Are you going to be like this when we have kids?!"

"Olivia, come on, that's not fair and you know it!"

"No, Fitz, you don't get the gravity of this. Harrison cannot afford to go to prison and have a drug crime on his record. It could ruin his life! It will follow him forever! When he finally does decide to go back to school, he may be disqualified for financial aid. When he goes for a job...He already has to fight stereotypes simply because of the color of his skin, a strike like this could really set him back." Her bottom lip began to tremble, I don't want...Fitz, I don't want him."

Fitz stood up and sighed, "Livi, come here."

"Fitz-"

"Now, Livi. Come here."

She rounded the bed to stand in front him and he picked her up so that they were eye to eye. "Fitz, put me down."

"No," muttered against her lips as she wrapped her legs around his middle.

He pressed his forehead against hers and kissed her, "Olivia, I love you."

"I love you too, Fitz."

"Please, let's not fight about this," he pleaded.

"We're not fighting."

He chuckled, "You we're screaming at me."

"I'm sorry, really. I don't mean to take out my frustration on you. I'm just worried about him."

He kissed her again, softly, before stepping backwards and sitting them both in the bed. "I love you, honey bun, and I love Harrison, too."

"I know," she assured him.

"So believe me when I say I'm not trying to be flippant about this. I'm just trying to say, let's not push too hard. He's in a fragile space and if we come off as judgmental, there's a chance he may not come to us again if he's ever in trouble. I don't want him to have any more run ins with the law, but we're his family, he has to feel like he can come to us. He's still a little giggly right now, but I'm willing to bet anything, in the morning, he's going to be regretful. And Abra-"

Olivia rolled her eyes, "Humph,"

"Livi, you don't have to like her, but just play it cool, okay? If you try to get between them, you're just going to end up pushing them closer together. If she's bad news, that's exactly what we don't want to do."

"You're right, I guess," Olivia admitted.

He kissed her temple, "You guess, huh?"

She chuckled, "I guess. But babe, I don't know what we're going to do."

"I spoke to the arresting office and it sounds to me like since it isn't his car and the drugs weren't on his person, hopefully it can be dropped. It's par the course to charge everyone in the car with possession when the drugs are in the open and no one takes ownership."

Olivia shook her head, "What in the world was he thinking?"

"Babe, I promise you, we're gonna handle it. I have my connections, and the Deputy Mayor title has to count for something. I don't care if I have to throw my weight around a little bit, this is going to be taken care of. This one night is not going to define his career or his life."

"Baby, than-"

He covered her lips with his finger, "Don't thank me. It goes without saying. I would never let any harm come to Harrison if I could prevent it."

"I know sweetheart and I'm sorry for screaming. It's just been a heavy day."

"You know what make you feel better?" Fitz smiled.

"What?"

"Some sleep," he yawned. "Can we go to bed now, Livi? I just want to get a few hours of shut eye with you in my arms."

She kissed him, "Yes, of course. Just let me check on them for one teensy weensy second, okay? Just to make sure they don't need anything and haven't choked on their own vomit, or something."

Fitz smacked her ass and bit her neck. "Go, check, and hurry up back to me."