A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews on this story. I love that you guys care enough and want me to continue. I am really having fun with playing around with this story. The ideas keep flowing and I hope that continues. I just want to make a note that I mentioned the Duke Ellington School of the Arts as the school that Layla is trying to get into. I literally just googled performing arts schools in DC so yes, it is a real school but I have never been to a performing arts school so everything written about the school is purely my imagination. Also for the sake of this story, I want you to think of Fitz singing voice sounding like John Mayer or Maverick Sabre(if you listen to "Hard On Me" by Gorgon City & Maverick Sabre, you will get the perfect voice that I am hearing for Fitz singing voice). Both guys have really amazing music that I have been listening to during my writing process so either voice works for Fitz. Last thing, if you have any songs that you think I should check out or that just make you think about Olitz, leave them in the comments. I am always in search of new songs to inspire my writing and with this story being about music, it could really help.

Teenage Love Affair

"Want have your voice in my ear til ma comes and says it's too late. Cause the lights are on outside. Wish there was somewhere to hide cause I just don't want to say goodbye. Cause you are my baby, baby. Nothing really matters. I don't really care. What nobody tells me. I'm gonna be here. It's a matter of extreme importance. My first teenage love affair."—Alicia Keys

"Are you guys okay?"

Olivia looked at her daughter, "Yeah. We're fine."

Layla and Fitz looked at her.

"Mia brought Mr. Grant here because he wanted to tell me in person that I got picked to participate in the music workshop."

Olivia finally noticed Mia standing in the doorway.

"Hey Ms. Pope," Mia waved.

"Hey Mia."

Olivia was momentarily flustered at the sight of Fitz but she attempted to play it off and pull herself together.

"I guess it really is a small world, Livvie."

"That it is."

Layla watched her mom and Fitz. There was a familiarity there that she could not quite put her finger on. He called her mom, "Livvie". She had never heard anyone call her that. They had to know each other.

"You two met before?" Layla asked.

"Yeah. A long time ago," Olivia said.

June 29, 1999

Olivia looked around for her mother's car. She had called her mother the night before to tell her what time her flight was landing and her mother promised to be at the airport on time. Olivia tapped her foot impatiently and looked around once more. When she didn't spot her mother, Olivia pulled her luggage toward the area that held the pay phones. As she fumbled with her wallet, she heard a familiar male voice calling her name. Looking in the direction of the voice, Olivia saw her stepfather Dominic Bell.

"Liv," he greeted with a hug, "You cut your hair," he added when he pulled away from their embrace.

"It was my first adult decision." For her 18th birthday, Olivia decided she wanted a change so she cut off most of her shoulder length hair and was now wearing it in its natural curly state.

"I bet your father loves it," Dominic joked as he grabbed her bags.

"He is dealing," Olivia shrugged, "I thought my mom was coming to meet me."

"She got caught up finishing a project for work so she called me."

Olivia nodded and followed Dominic to the car. They loaded her luggage and then headed to her home away from home.

Olivia laid across her bed smiling as she listened to her four year old brother Nicolas attempt to tell her everything that happened in his life since she saw him last summer.

"Shane doesn't believe that I have a big sister because you don't live with me but I told him you have a different dad so you stay with him. Can you meet Shane so he can stop calling you my imaginary sister?"

"Sure," she giggled.

"Do you know the president? Mommy says you live where the president lives so you have to know him since you stay in the same house. Or maybe you don't because that's a big house. Do you see the president all the time? Is he nice?"

Olivia smiled at all of his questions.

"I don't live with the president. I live in the same city," Olivia informed him, "We're like neighbors."

"Does he ever come by and borrow sugar? Our neighbors borrow sugar."

"No, the president does not borrow sugar."

"Oh. He probably has lots of sugar."

"He probably does."

Nicolas stared at Olivia for a long moment.

"What's on your mind, Nicky?"

"Mommy says you're an adult now but you seem the same."

"I am the same."

"Do you still like to color?"

"I love to color."

"I have a new superhero coloring book," he said excitedly, "Do you want to color with me?"

"I thought you would never ask."

"I'll be right back."

Nicolas jumped off of his sister's bed and ran out of the room to collect his coloring supplies.

"I'm coming," Fitz yelled to whoever was banging loudly on his door. He swung the door open and sighed as he came face to face with his best friend Derek. "Are you dying?" Fitz asked, walking back to the living room.

"Close to it," Derek let out a breath, "I need a HUGE favor."

Fitz eyed his friend as he sat down, picking up his bowl of cereal.

"Sean got food poisoning and is not able to do the show tonight," Derek ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

"Okay," Fitz stated calmly.

"I need you to take his place."

"Nope."

"What do you mean 'nope'?"

"I mean no, not going to happen, I'm not doing it."

"Why?"

"You know I hate performing."

"I get that. I understand completely but I need you to do this for me. It is our first paying gig in the last three months and I need this. The band needs this. As my friend, you have to do this for me."

Fitz was hesitant and said nothing.

"Fitzgerald, do you want me to beg you? Because I will. I will get on my knees and beg you."

Fitz sighed, "No, I don't want you to beg."

"So you will do it?"

"I haven't played in a while."

"You could play with your elbows and it would be fine."

"I don't know the songs."

"I came prepared," Derek reached in his bag and pulled out a CD and tossed it to me. Fitz caught the CD and looked at it. "That is all the songs we will be performing tonight."

"And you expect me to do, what with this exactly?"

"I expect you to do what you do. You know the whole listen and take in thing that you do with music."

Fitz had a true gift when it came to music. He could listen to a song a few times and pick up on the key notes and in 10 minutes, he would be able to play the song full out on his guitar.

Fitz never thought of himself as being a music lover. He listened to music like everyone else but being rhythmically challenged young boy, music was not something that was important to him. After his mother passed away, while cleaning out some of her things, Fitz stumbled upon a box of old albums. His dad pulled out a record player and had a good time reminiscing about his wife and her love of music. Fitz learned things that he never knew about his mom by just sitting down and talking to his dad. They bonded over her memory and her love of music and that moment started his love of music. After hearing "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream and discovering guitarist Eric Clapton, Fitz was inspired to pick up a guitar and start playing.

It was like playing was what Fitz was meant to do because it came as easy as breathing for him. He taught himself to play and in a matter of two years, Fitz had developed a real love of playing and writing music. Fitz was never a performer though, despite having the total package needed for success—he was good looking, charming, a phenomenal guitar player, he wrote amazing songs, and could sing—but he hated performing in front of crowds because to him, his music was something personal. Every time he played or wrote a song, it was like it was his bridge of connecting him back to him mom. He fell in love with music because of her. He played for her. He made music that he knew she would love as a hobby, something to clear his mind when he was stressed.

He had only ever performed once before and it was when Derek had signed him up for the school talent show as a joke. Derek had no idea that Fitz was good at playing guitar and singing. Fitz of course didn't want to do it but his father encouraged him to do it. So Fitz performed and blew everyone away. Derek was shocked and when he saw how the girls flocked to Fitz, he decided he wanted to be a rock star. Performing that first time was what made Fitz feel like he had something to share with the world with his music.

"I can't make any promises but I'll try," Fitz said.

"Sound check is at 6. I'll be back at 5 to pick you up. Any questions you have, we can discuss them then."

With that Derek left, leaving Fitz alone with the music.

The moment Olivia entered the kitchen, she was met by a scream of her name and arms squeezing her.

"Hey Shelly," Olivia hugged her cousin Rochelle back, "I take it you missed me."

Olivia and Rochelle grew up like sisters since both were only children at the time. They were both born in New York, seven months apart with Rochelle being older. They had been inseparable up until Olivia's parents separated when she was 12. After her parents divorced, her mother Maya moved to the west coast and Olivia and her dad stayed on the east coast but moved to DC. Rochelle and Olivia still stayed close by spending the holidays together and a few times when Olivia spent the summers with her mom, Rochelle would tag along.

Rochelle had fell in love with the west coast on her visits with Liv and her extended family so she decided to move out here to attend college a year earlier.

"You know I did," Rochelle released her, "I was just telling aunt Maya how I'm kidnapping you tonight."

"What?"

"We're going out so go back a bag."

"I don't know. I just got in," Olivia was hesitant.

"Go," Maya interjected, "You have all summer to hang around here with us."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Have fun."

"Okay," Olivia turned to Rochelle, "Give me ten minutes."

Olivia left the room and went to go pack an overnight bag.

"Olivia, whatever you do, please don't be a prude or a saint tonight," Rochelle said as she added the finishing touches to her makeup.

"I am never a prude or a saint," Olivia yelled from the bathroom.

"I just need you to be a go with the flow type of a girl tonight," Rochelle said.

"I know how to have fun."

"You also know how to be a buzzkill and I want none of that tonight," Rochelle looked at herself in the mirror, "I'm trying to get free drinks, small conversation, and a good fuck."

"What am I supposed to be doing while you're getting your 'good fuck'?"

"Hopefully you'll be getting one too."

Olivia didn't respond because she didn't want to sound like a prude but the chances of her meeting some random guy and sleeping with him were never going to happen. You would have a better chance of seeing pigs fly in hell on a cold day before you saw Olivia sleep with some random dude for the sake of having fun. She and her cousin were different in that way. Rochelle had lost her virginity at 16 and some of the stories she told Olivia about her sexual encounters made Olivia wonder how they could be the offspring of two siblings. It was clear that Eli and Eva Pope had very different parenting styles.

Olivia walked out of the bathroom, "Because you didn't tell me where we are going, I hope my outfit is okay."

Rochelle mouth dropped open. Olivia had on a red one shouldered body con dress with diagonal strips on it and four inch black peep toe heels.

"I guess my outfit is fine," Olivia judged by her cousin's outfit. Rochelle had on a gold and cream sequin dress with her back out and cream colored heels.

"Olivia Carolyn Pope! Look at you! If uncle Eli saw you he would die. I love it," Rochelle said excitedly.

"He is not as strict as you think."

"I'm actually really proud of you right now. I didn't know you had it in you, girl!"

"Rochelle, you don't know my life."

"I can see that, sexy. We're going to have so much fun tonight."

"Who are you looking for?"

"My friend. He said he was going to try to see me before he hits the stage," Rochelle looked around the room.

"You have a friend who is performing here?"

"Yeah. His band is performing."

"So we're being groupies tonight?" Rochelle nodded. "Have you slept with him?"

"What kind of a woman do you take me for?" Olivia stared at her. "No. I haven't slept with him. He is legit my friend. He use to date the girl I was rooming with at school. She knew that I wasn't from around here so she use to drag me to all the shows his band was doing and we became friends."

"I get the feeling that they aren't together anymore."

"They're not. She cheated on him and when he found out he left her. She had like a nervous breakdown and dropped out of school in the middle of last semester. She never came back from spring break," Rochelle chuckled.

"That's not funny. Are you sure she is alive?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Rochelle waived her off.

"Is there bad blood there?"

"Before she left she tried to cuss me out for still being friends with her ex. She did not know I was from New York and having none of her shit. I ripped her a new one and needless to say, there was nothing there after are argument. She was a spoiled, entitled little whore who thought the world revolved around her. She got mad at him for not taking her back after she cheated and then mad at me because I didn't co-sign her bullshit. Fuck her."

"Well, thanks for telling me how you really feel," Olivia laughed.

"You know I always will," she laughed.

In the mist of their laughing, they missed the pair of guys approaching them. It wasn't until a pair of hands covered Rochelle's eyes did they became aware that they weren't alone anymore.

"Guess who?"

"Someone who wants to die for sneaking up on me."

"Damn Shelly, why you have to be so violent?"

"Cause you play too much and a girl has to protect herself in these dangerous streets."

Olivia and the guy who walked up with Rochelle's friend, stared at the pair as they went into their own little world of banter and playing catch up. After a minute or so, the other guy stuck his hand out to Olivia.

"Hi, I'm Fitz," he introduced himself with a beautiful boyish grin.

"Hi," Olivia was momentarily rendered speechless when she got a better look at the guy, "Olivia," she said when she found her voice again.

It was Fitz's turn to be rendered speechless. He hadn't noticed her beauty with Derek and her friend standing in the middle of them. But now that he had moved closer to introduce himself, he was brought face to face with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Fitz studied her features, from her short curly hair to the softest looking brown doe eyes, her full lips, that seemed to be inviting him to kiss her. The way that the red dress she had on clung to her body. He took her in, committing this very moment to his memory.

Fitz noticed her eyebrows furrow and he realized that he hadn't let go of her hand.

"Sorry," he said as he released her hand.

She smiled politely at him and looked back over to Rochelle who was still talking and hadn't notice the moment between her and Fitz. Olivia cleared her throat and Rochelle finally looked over at her.

"Hello, I'm Olivia," Olivia shook the guys hand, "Rochelle's cousin."

"Derek," he shook her hand, "I've heard a lot about you, Liv."

"Oh, have you?" Olivia looked over to her cousin.

"What can I say, I missed you!"

"Shelly, this is my best friend, Fitz. He is filling in for Sean tonight."

"What happened to Sean?"

"Food poisoning."

"Is that what they are calling it these days?" Rochelle laughed.

"Don't do him like that, Shell."

Olivia and Fitz watched the two get lost in their own little world again.

"It's a good thing you're here or I would feel like I was intruding," Olivia said to Fitz.

"I never seen him like this."

"Twenty dollars say they grow old and have at least one kid together," Olivia held her hand out.

"It's a losing chance on my side but I'll take," Fitz took her hand and sealed their bet.

"You do know that we can hear y'all, right?" Shelly asked.

"Yeah," Olivia nodded, "That was the point since you both seem to be forgetting the other two people at the table."

Derek looked at Olivia.

"I like you," he nodded, "What's your favorite song?"

"That's an impossible question to answer. People like songs for the feelings it can invoke in them. Since we don't always feel the same it is hard to pick a favorite song because whatever song you pick can change when your feelings change," Olivia said.

Derek looked and Fitz and smiled and nodded before returning his attention back the Olivia.

"Give us a song and we'll add it to the set for you," Derek said.

"Any genre?"

"Anything you want. Old or new, it doesn't matter."

"Do I get a song too?" Rochelle asked.

"Of course."

Rochelle thought for a second, "My middle name Maria so I really like that new Carlos Santana song, 'Maria, Maria'. Do you know it?"

"I do," Derek looked at Olivia, "And you?"

"Knocks Me Off My Feet by Stevie Wonder."

"Awesome choices!" Derek said enthusiastically. "Our show is going to start soon so we have to go but we'll hang after."

Derek and Fitz disappeared into the crowd and Olivia turned to face her cousin.

"Are you sure there is nothing going on with you two?"

"We flirt and bullshit but nothing serious. I told you he got cheated on, he is still hurt from that. I'm a great distraction and he is good company but neither one of us has tried anything." Rochelle looked around, "We better find our seats before they're taken."

Olivia and Rochelle moved towards the stage in search of a table near the front of the bar.

Fitz was in the zone. Any nerves he had about performing were thrown out by the second song that the band had played. Once getting in the grove, he forgot that the people were even there—well he forgot everyone except her.

They band played covers of classic R&B, blues, and a few rock songs, while mixing in some of their own music. They were in the middle of playing 'Maria, Maria' and Fitz was loving it for more reasons than one. He was enjoying the playing such a guitar heavy song but he enjoyed watching Olivia's hips move to the music as she danced and sang the words to the song along with Rochelle.

When the song ended there were applause and cheers from all around the room. Once the applause died down, Derek started to speak.

"For our last two songs we're taking it back. I'm talking old school classics," he paused and took a sip of water, "Before we start the last two songs, I want to tell you all a little story. If you look to the left you will see this amazing guitarist," Derek pointed to Fitz. "This is my best friend, Fitz and he is filling in with us tonight because our guitarist Sean got sick. I literally came running to this dude at 11am and begged him to play with us. He learned all of our songs and prepared to play in less than five hours. And for someone who was worried since he hadn't played in a while, I think he played pretty damn well. Don't you?"

The crowd cheered loudly and Fitz looked a little bashful, like he wasn't use to all the attention. Olivia thought her looked adorable so she cheered even louder.

"Believe it or not this is only the second time Fitz has performed. Coincidentally both times was because of me. I was an asshole in 8th grade and I signed him up for the school talent show as a joke. Little did I know, my best friend was a musical genius. He is the reason that I got into making music so thanks man." Fitz nodded and smiled but didn't say anything. "Because I'm still an asshole or I'm just a guy who wants my friend's amazing talents to be showcased, I'm putting him on the spot again."

Fitz face dropped but he still said nothing.

"This next song is classic and since I am talented but not a genius like this guy," he pointed at Fitz, "I'm going to let him take the lead. This song is dedicated to the pretty lady in the red dress," Derek pointed at Olivia. All eyes were on Olivia and when she looked over at Rochelle, she was grinning mischievously. Olivia blushed but tried to act normal.

Derek put the mic back on the stand and took a step back. As Fitz passed him, he whispered, "I hate you so much."

"When you two get married, you'll thank me. Now go knock them dead."

Fitz stepped up to the mic and cleared his throat, "You're definitely an asshole," he said as he looked at Derek. He turned back to the crowd and began to speak, "As Derek said I wasn't prepared to do anything but play guitar to help out a friend so forgive me if this awful because I'm not a performer but here goes. This is 'Knocks Me Off My Feet' by Stevie Wonder."

Fitz took a step back and started to play his guitar. He played the intro to the song twice and the second time, he leaned in and began singing, "I see us in the park. Strolling the summer days of imaginings in my head. And words from our hearts. Told only to the wind felt even without being said. I don't want to bore you with my trouble. But there's something 'bout your love. That makes me weak and knocks me off my feet. There's something 'bout your love that makes me weak and knocks me off my feet. Knocks me off my feet. I don't want to bore you with it. Oh but I love you, I love you, I love you. I don't want to bore you with it. Oh but I love you, I love you, I love you. More and more…"

Olivia was mesmerized as he sang and played the guitar with no help from the band. She didn't know what to expect when she heard that Fitz was going to sing but she didn't expect the raspy soulful voice that blessed her ears. Olivia felt like putty in his hands. She couldn't do anything but watch him as he sang to her—he wasn't singing to her, was he? It felt like he was.

When Fitz was finished the song the erupted in loud cheers and applause. Everyone was cheering around them but Olivia and Fitz could do nothing but stare at each other.

Olivia and Rochelle joined Fitz, Derek, and the rest of the band members for late dinner and then they ended up at the beach. Somehow more people came and drinks were brought in and the group ended up having a small beach party.

As everyone broke off into smaller groups to talk and mingle, Olivia and Fitz sat by bonfire watching the others dance and talk.

"You're not a drinker, are you?" Fitz asked to break the silence after noticing that Olivia had been sitting with the same drink in her hand for the last hour.

"I never really drank before. I've had champagne on New Years and last month on my birthday I tasted wine for the first time."

"Happy belated birthday."

"Thanks."

The fell into silence again, this time Olivia was the one to break it.

"How long have you been playing guitar?"

"Eight years."

"Are your parents musicians who pushed you to play? Cause I don't know anyone who is as good as you but hates to perform."

"No. My mom was a teacher and my dad is an architect. When my mom passed away I found some of her old albums and got inspired to play."

"Oh," her voice sounded sad, "I'm sorry…about your mom, not you finding your gift."

"Time is slowly healing the wounds," he gave a weak smile, "The music also helps."

Olivia didn't want to focus on his mother's passing so she changed the subject.

"Are you from around here?"

"Born and raised," Fitz said proudly. "Where are you from?"

"New York. Born and partially raised in the Bronx."

"Ah, the boogie down Bronx," Fitz said. Olivia chuckled. "What?"

"Nothing," she stopped laughing.

"No. Go ahead."

"I just didn't just expect you to say that."

"Why because I'm white?"

"No. I…I didn't mean," Olivia stuttered.

"It's fine," Fitz laughed.

"You listen to rap?"

"I do. I listen to lots of music."

"Who do you listen to?"

"Nas, Pac, KRS-One, Biggie, Jay-Z, Big Daddy Kane, Snoop, Common, Twista, I listen to a lot a different people."

Olivia looked at him suspiciously.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, it's not that. It is just surprising."

"Pick a song, don't tell me the name, start the lyric and I'll finish it."

Olivia thought for a second and then started to rap a song.

"Imagine smoking weed in the streets without cops harassing. Imagine going to court with no trial. Lifestyle cruising blue behind my waters. No welfare supporters more conscious of the way we raise our daughters."

"Days are shorter, nights are colder. Feeling like life is over, these snakes strike like a cobra. The world's hot my son got knocked evidentially. It's elementary, they want us all gone eventually. Trooping out of state for a plate knowledge of coke was cooked without the garbage we'd all have the top dollars. Imagine everybody flashing, fashion. Designer clothes, lacing your click up with diamond vogues. Your people holding dough, no parole. No rubbers, go in raw imagine law with no under covers. Just some thoughts for the mind. I take a glimpse into time watch the blimp read 'The World Is Mine'," Fitz rapped, "Nas featuring Lauryn Hill, If I Ruled The Word. That was easy. You want to give me something a little harder?"

"Don't get cocky." Olivia took her time thinking about the next song. "Okay, I got it," she clapped her hands together and sat up before she started to rap the lyrics to the next song, "I lived in a spot called Millbrooke Projects. The original Criminal Minded rap topic. With twenty cents in my pocket I saw the light. If you're young, gifted, and black, you got no rights. Your only true right, is a right to a fight and not a fair fight. I wake up wondering who died last night. Everyone and everything is at war. Making my poetic expression hardcore."

Fitz bit his lip as took a minute to think. He smiled and Olivia knew he must have figured it out.

"I ain't afraid to say it, and many can't get with it. At times in my life, I was a welfare recipient. I ate the free cheese, while the church said believe and went to school every day, like a God damn fool. Well anyway, here I am, chilling at the party. Brothers looking at me like they wanna kill somebody. A cypher manifested in the center of the jam. I got to show these wack rappers really who I am. It's me against them, so I clear the phlegm and wage the war, hardcore to the end. For someone looking inside, yeah from the out it seems like disrespect is what rap is all about. But hip-hop as a culture, is really what we give it. But sometimes the culture contradicts how we live it cause every black kid lives two and three lives. The city's a jungle, only the strong will survive," Fitz rapped proudly. "R.E.A.L.I.T.Y. by KRS-One."

"Okay, you know your shit."

"I know a little bit," Fitz said modestly.

"You're full of surprises, Fitz and I like that."

July 4, 1999

Olivia walked alongside the lake with Nicolas looking for a spot to lay out their blanket. Today all of the residents on with homes that surrounded the lake were getting together for a big fourth of July barbecue. Olivia loved the idea because in all the years that she visited her mother, she had only ever met one set of neighbors because all of the houses were so spaced out. It was nice to finally see all the people who lived around them.

While Dominic and her mother busied themselves with cooking and talking to their neighbors, Olivia was keeping an eye on her little brother. Nicolas wanted to go swimming to show Olivia what he had learned since last year, when she was first teaching him to swim.

Olivia found a spot and laid their blanket down. They sat down waiting for Nicolas's friend to the join them before they got in the water.

"I have been practicing a lot and I can hold my breath under water but mommy doesn't like when I do that. She says it scares her."

Olivia loved listening to her little brother talk. He always had a lot of stories to tell and his innocence about the world and curiosity about everything excited her.

"Mom said you use to be on the swim team so I said I was going to be on the swim team and be really good because you were teaching me."

Before Olivia had a chance to respond some called Nicolas's name. Upon seeing his friend, Nicolas jumped up and ran over to him. In a matter of seconds the pair ran over to Olivia.

"See, I told you she was real," Nicolas said.

Olivia smiled at the two.

"You're pretty," Shane said.

"Thank you."

"He has good taste."

Olivia looked up and was surprised to see Fitz.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm on kid duty until his mom gets here," he pointed at Shane.

"You live around here?"

"Across the lake," Fitz took a seat on the blanket next to her.

Nicolas eyed Fitz and took a seat in the middle of Olivia and Fitz.

"Olivia, we are not supposed to talk to strangers. Stranger is danger. He can be an act murderer," Nicolas warned.

"Axe murder," she corrected, "And I know him."

"How?" He didn't wait for her to respond before he turned to Fitz, "Who are you and how do you know my sister?"

"I'm Fitz and I met your sister the other night."

Nicolas turned to Olivia and whispered loudly, "Olivia, if you just met him you don't know him long enough to know if he is an axe murderer."

Olivia and Fitz were both trying to keep from laughing. Nicolas being protective over his big sister was adorable.

"He is nice. He gives me ice cream and chocolate chip pancakes," Shane says.

"How do you know him?"

"My mommy works with his dad."

Nicolas turned to face Fitz.

"If he says your nice then your nice but I'm watching you."

"Okay."

"Do you swim?"

"I do."

"If you want to talk to my sister then you have to go swimming because she is swimming with me and Shane."

"I didn't bring my swim close but I guess we are swimming," Fitz stood up and took off his shirt and shoes, Nicolas and Shane did the same. "Last one in is a rotten eye," Fitz ran and Nicolas and Shane raced after him.

Olivia smiled as she watched them all jump into the water. This was going to be an interesting summer.

Present Day

"He just walked into my office. I didn't know what to do or say," Olivia said frantically, finally taking a breath.

After seeing Fitz show up in her office, Olivia rushed to her father. She needed him. He had to tell her what to do because she was at a loss and her mind was not functioning properly.

Eli Pope sat quiet, trying to process all that his daughter just told him. Never had Olivia given him an explanation or a name of the man who was Layla's father, all he knew was that his granddaughter was the result of a summer fling. He was too upset and disappointed that his daughter had gotten pregnant at 18, that he didn't ask questions. He chose to ignore it until he laid eyes on his grandbaby. Her whole pregnancy was a blur and Eli regretted not getting involved sooner than he did but he tried to make up for it by being a supportive father once Layla was born.

"You have to tell him," was the first words he said, "You have to tell both of them. Before you allow them to be in the same space together, you have to them the truth."