Thank you everyone for reviews and follows! I decided to open it up into a several chapter story.
I really want to come up with idea how Fitz and Olivia agreed that she is running his campaign again. But before I got there, this chapter got written :) I hope you like it!
Chapter 2: Down the memory lane
The sunlight was slowly creeping through the curtains, signaling the arrival of a new day. The alarm sounded off on her cell phone, and Olivia rolled over in her bed to switch it off. She closed her eyes again and took several deep breaths, her sleepy mind going back to that morning that seemed so long ago when Fitz stayed over for the whole night. They barely slept, their hunger for each other, and desire to hold, kiss, touch, and caress too great. They made love again, and again, and in the morning, Olivia woke up to the most wonderful feeling of his strong hands and solid body curled around her when she woke up.
Today, she was all alone in her bed. But if she closed her eyes tightly enough, concentrated her mind hard enough and let her dreams wander far enough, she could almost feel Fitz lying next to her, still fast asleep.
As Olivia went through her morning routine, preparing for a long day in the office, her clients' messes and her teams' demands, she could not switch her mind off Fitz. She was usually quite successful at pushing him at the back of her mind to concentrate on her chaotic day and work and people that surrounded her. But then the sound of his voice on TV, or his picture in the newspaper, or a word or a phrase muttered by someone else, but that he liked to use too, and she would momentarily snap out of her Fitz-free zone.
As she was listening to today's morning news, the anchor on CNN started debating why there was no news from the White House about the re-election campaign starting for president Grant. Olivia listened to the report going on and on about the possible reasons for the delay, and frowned. In the midst of the catastrophe that was her mother and Maya's escape from the US, Olivia uncharacteristically lost track of time and ignored the fact that presidential re-election campaign for Fitz has not been in the full swing yet.
Acting on impulse, she grabbed her burner phone and dialed his number.
"Good morning, Olivia" – he greeted her after the third ring. She heard shuffles and muted voices on the other side, Fitz was probably starting his day in the Oval Office right now. "How are you?" – he continued slightly awkwardly after a short pause. They have not talked much after Maya's escape, Olivia ignored a couple of his phone calls and never tried to all herself, feeling guilty for the horrible and compromising situation she put him in.
"Fitz, I am fine" – she answered in her usual chirpy tone. "We really need to talk. What time can I come over to the White House today?" – she went straight to the point.
"Liv, I am sorry, but today is really bad. I am booked solid, and can't move anything around, there will be people here in the Oval all day long. I have a breather at around 9 or 10, can I call you back then?"
"Uh, ok…" – she trailed off. Her chirpy tone suddenly gone, she really didn't expect him to say no to seeing her.
Not picking up on her mood change anyhow, Fitz went on: "Liv, I really need to go now. We'll talk later tonight, OK?"
"OK, Fitz, fine.." – she didn't want to sound so small and disappointed, but the words were out before she could stop them. Olivia disconnected the call and suddenly felt very weary. She realized she was looking forward to finally seeing him again, they have not properly talked or seen each other since Vermont, and now her plans were derailed and by Fitz himself. She had no choice but to head to the door to start her day, but made a mental note to call Cyrus ASAP and grill him about reelection.
The day flew past and Olivia didn't realize it was 9PM until she turned on the news in her office and heard the anchors speculating again about President Grant's re-election campaign, or lack thereof.
Olivia switched off the news in frustration and decided to call it a night. The new case that landed on her desk that day with a Senator and hos daughter who overdosed on some type of drug promised to turn into a long-drawn battle with media and Olivia knew she would need every ounce of her mental power and strength to win this case. Calling it a night at decent hour and re-energizing was a crucial part of the process. On the way out of her office, Olivia tried calling Cyrus again, but the call went unanswered. Olivia was beyond annoyed at this point, she felt like she was the least favorite person for the White House power people today, with neither Fitz nor Cyrus willing to talk to her.
On the way to her apartment, she decided to stop at a local supermarket as she was running low on wine. On a whim, she decided to go to the food aisles and get something to eat. She inevitable started thinking about Fitz and wondered what he would pick up if he was there with her. She smiled when she remembered a night in Camp David when they had grilled chicken and potato salad for dinner; it was one of her fondest memories of their time in her cabin.
FLASHBACK TO CAMP DAVID
Olivia sat on the couch in her cabin in Camp David, furiously scribbling away on her notepad. Ideas about Fits' first SOTU address kept on pouring out of her mind and into the paper like volcanic lava. Being with her day and night, making love and debating on major points of her speech made her feel invigorated, alive and creative. She couldn't remember last time she came up with so many ideas and brilliant points, Fitz being there with her definitely made all the difference. By 4 o'clock that afternoon, she was so exhausted, she fell asleep on him. She woke up naked and alone on the couch, a throw and pillows tucked all around her, all of it Fitz' handiwork, no doubt.
There was a simple note from him left on the coffee table in front of her, stating that he went off to meet with Cyrus and his new defense advisors and that he will be back for dinner.
Feeling completely reenergized after her nap, Olivia collected her clothes that was thrown around the cabin and took a shower. Cleaned up and ready to charge, she wanted to have the first draft of SOTU ready for Fitz when he came back to eat. Submerging herself into the speech writing, notes and drafts flying everywhere, she didn't notice that 8 o'clock was there and there was a soft knock on her door. She jumped to open her door, revealing Fitz with food bags at her door step.
"Dinner time!" - he announced happily, showing her the bags and stepping inside. He paused at the entrance and surveyed the paper mess she managed to create in the few short hours that he was away.
"Damn it, Liv, you've been busy!" – he laughed while Olivia smiled sheepishly at him. They headed to the coffee table and tried to find some clean surface by re-organizing Olivia's notes and papers.
Fitz started unpacking the food, all the while talking about his two new defense advisors that he just met.
"Steinbeck seems like a great guy, very thoughtful and precise. He is not afraid to speak his mind either, which is a huge plus. Montgomery, on the other hand…" – he trailed off and gave her an expectant look.
Olivia shrugged her shoulders and returned his stare: "What about her?.."
"Oh, come on Liv, I know you two have some history, give me some scoop!"
"Fitz, we have some personal history, and that has nothing to do with her abilities as defense advisor. I hear she is very strong and knowledgeable"
"Personal, huh? What, did you fight over a guy or something?"
When Olivia didn't reply, he knew he hit it close to home.
"Who was he? Anyone important to you?"
Olivia gave him a weak smile and shook her head. "No, he was not important. I met him at one of the galas, and flirted shamelessly through the night. He invited me over to his hotel room, and I have been single for a while, so at first I thought why not.. One of my colleagues got pretty drunk, and in the end I volunteered to drive him home, which kind of prevented my one-night stand with him. Jane Montgomery was at that gala and spent the whole evening watching me and him flirt. I bet she figured he was trying to make plans with me for later too… I guess my man-stealing antics go waaaay back" – she finished sadly, not able to meet his gaze.
Fitz stopped unpacking the food containers and looked at her. Seeing her so small and dejected tugged at his heartstrings, he scooted over and cradled her face in his palm.
"Livvie, look at me!" – when she didn't comply, he gave her a gentle kiss and asked her again. Almost against her will, Olivia raised her eyes and stared back at him.
"You didn't still anyone.. You didn't know that Jane had a boyfriend. And you didn't steal me from anyone either". Olivia started to protest, but he put his thumb n her limps and shook his head from side to side, determined to finish his sentence.
"Listen to me Livvie. Yes, I am married, but I am married only on paper, and have been married only on paper for years now. I don't remember last time we shared anything cordial or affectionate with Mellie. If I wasn't running for the President, if I didn't become a President, I would have divorced her a while ago. I should have divorced her a long time ago, but I had no one in my life to support me in this, or even encourage me to do it. I was lonely, and miserable, and all my friends and colleagues around me seemed to have a similar life. I had no reason to divorce her, until you came…"
They sat there, staring at each other for a long time. Olivia didn't know how to respond to him. She knew that what he said was true, but the words "I love you" refused to leave her lips, even though she knew it in her heart and in her mind that she loved him with every fiber of her being, and more than anyone else she has ever loved or cared about. In the end, she broke the gaze and climbed into his lap. She curled into him, and wrapped her arms around him, willing him to hear what hew heart felt and her lips could not yet articulate. Fitz seemed to understand her, and his hands hugged her just a bit tighter, and his kisses to her forehand and lips just a little bit longer.
Before they got carried away, he gently took a hold oh her face and smiled sweetly at her.
"Olivia Pope, you have an excellent stamina! After all the hot sex and passionate debates that we had today, I am starving!"
She laughed at him and blushed just thinking about what they did to each other earlier that afternoon. Smiling mischievously, Fitz gently deposited her on the floor next to the coffee table and went on finishing the unpacking of food.
"Here we have an excellent dinner of chicken and potato salad, to celebrate another productive day!"
Olivia turned around to eye the food he unpacked and laughed at him.
"Grilled chicken and potato salad, how very un-presidential of you!"
Fitz laughed along and started eating. They tucked in the food, and Fitz finished recounting his meeting with Steinbeck and Montgomery. After they cleaned off most of the dinner, Olivia pushed away from the table and announced that she was full and could not eat another bite. Fitz poured out wine and they cleaned up they food mess and moved it to the kitchen. Once they settled back on the couch, with Olivia curling herself into his side, he broke the silence.
The food was very un-gourmet, yes. This was my mom's favorite food, I really wanted to share it with you. Breaking the embrace, Olivia looked at him, trying to gauge where he was going with his story. Fitz gave her a quick kiss, and pulled her back against his side.
"When I was little, my father used to travel a lot. When he was out, life at home was happy and peaceful, with only me and my mom. She used to order grilled chicken from a restaurant down in North Santa Barbara, and then we would make the potato salad at home together. It's one of my best memories from my childhood".
It felt good to share happy stories with her, to show and tell that not all was broken and sad in his past.
Olivia didn't know how to respond to his recollections, she wanted to cry and give him a hug and smile and be happy about him sharing his past with her at the same time.
She took hold of his face and gave him a long deep kiss, his story stirring something raw and deep inside of her. Their kiss quickly escalated into a hot and frenzied haze, and they started to pull off their clothes frantically, eager to have skin on skin contact.
Before they knew it, the connection was established and their dance has begun. Olivia slammed her hips down on him, mindless of slight pain that her sore flesh signaled. She didn't want to waste a single minute that she could spend with him, could not get enough of him. She knew that their days at Camp David were coming to an end and she worried that they were going to lose their lust-filled, heated, playful and loving idyll. She gripped his shoulders, and started moving on top of him, head thrown back in complete abandon and ecstasy.
"Easy baby, you are going to hurt yourself… Slow down.." - he murmured softly and caught her hips to still her frantic movements.
Olivia started at him, wild-eyes and wanton, and the last thing she wanted to do was to slow down. She knew Fitz was concerned, she was always tender if they kept on going on and on with their lovemaking, and that day, they broke their own record of the number of rounds they've done.
"It's OK Fitz, I am fine.. I just want this… " she trailed off and tried to move her hips again, but his hold on her was relentless.
Fitz gave her a slow, sweet smile and leaned in for a quick kiss. Then, not letting her recover from her confusion at his stalling tactics, he raised his hips and pushed into her, letting her feel all of him. Her breath caught in her throat, and she was suddenly overwhelmed by him, his gentle moves deep inside her, his strong hands controlling their pace and his eyes, so full of love and desire. They didn't say a word, just kept on moving gently and softly against each other. Sudden explosion of heat, caused by him tugging at her nipple, or her giving a gentle kiss to his ear, and their were both gone, Olivia holding on to him to feel the rest of the rhythm of his hips against her as their rode out their orgasm….
END OF FLASHBACK
Having finished her walk down the memory lane, Olivia has not noticed that she has already made it back to her apartment and went to her kitchen to unpack her chicken fest for two. Suddenly, loneliness hit her like a slap on the face. She was not hungry anymore and didn't want like eating any of this food all alone. She would never have picked up chicken and potato salad by herself, that was not her type of food. She went to it because she remembered how Fitz brought it over, how he made her made her eat more and more of "real" food; how she would go on to steal pieces of chicken from his plate to make him laugh and chase her to retrieve his stolen food, ducking around his wandering hands and sneaking fingers. Tears welled up in her eyes while she sat motionless, staring into nothing.
She jumped out of her skin at the loud knock on her door that echoed through her apartment. After checking the peephole, she pulled the door open with lightening speed.
"Fitz! What are you doing here so late?"
He smiled tiredly at her and stepped in through the door. "Hi Livvie. I just really wanted to see you..."
Seeing her tear-stricken face and sad eyes, he frowned at her:
"Livvie, what's wrong? Are you OK? It is your mother?"
Olivia looked at him for a moment, drinking him in and feeling the happiness at his mere presence spread through her like a warm taste of honey. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly, enjoying his warm body and his gentle hands hugging her back.
"It's nothing. I am alright... I just really needed to see you too…" – she whispered quietly into his chest.