A/N: Oh my god, you guys! The feedback I got from the last chapter was so amazing. Thank you all so much. I'm glad that most of you liked the idea of the story and where it's headed towards. So again if you have any ideas/comments, leave a review after reading and tweet me goldwyndempsey.

ANYWAY, since the first "chapter" was a prologue, this one is gonna be the first part of the flashback chapters to give you guys an idea of Fitz's background and on how he and Olivia met. So here it is! Don't forget to review and click on the fav/follow button if you want more chapters.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything or any of these characters!

Chapter 1: The Beginning (Part I)

Washington, March 24, 2016

Fitz took another long drag of his cigarette, allowing the chemicals to overpower his thoughts even for just a short amount of time. Truth be told, he wasn't really a smoker but today was a good enough excuse to have a few. Before he could take another puff, the phone in his pocket buzzed in his pocket showing a new message from his sister.

'Happy 36th, big bro! You're getting fucking older by the minute! Love you and don't be too hard on yourself today. (PS. When are you coming back to California? Come home.)'

Shaking his head at her antics, Fitz took a moment before replying a simple 'thanks, sis' and 'love you too', purposely avoiding her question.

Taking a swig from his beer, Fitz allowed himself to think about home.

He has always loved being in California. Majority of the happy memories he treasured happened there: waking up to his mom's cooking during the weekdays, horseback riding with his sister, Sophie, going on long hikes with the family, and all the other things that made him feel absolutely content; made him feel warm and happy. However, he was young then; naivety allowing him to focus solely on those feelings. Thinking back now, little did his younger self know how limited the time he had to enjoy these moments until they were soon to be out of his grasp.

On the day of his tenth birthday, instead of receiving a present, he and his mother walked in to the sight of his father banging his secretary on his office desk.

Up to now, he still remembered how he simply watched as the reality of the moment sunk in, when his mother fell apart, got in the car, and never looked back.

And on his tenth birthday, Fitzgerald Grant's mother died from a fatal car crash, taking all the happiness and warmth he had ever felt with her; leaving their California memories as mere shadows of what used to be.

After his mother's passing, everything that was of their family fell apart by the seams: His father drank himself to unconsciousness nearly every night and continued to sleep with anyone who breathed, his sister going through a rebellious phase due to the lack of guidance; due to the lack of family. And Fitz? He just lost his direction altogether. With Big Gerry constantly pushing him to enter the world of politics and Fitz constantly denying his wishes, he took the first college course available, did well enough to graduate, and as soon as he finished, Fitz packed his bags, told Sophie to stay in touch, then left home without looking back ever since.

Before he could further dwell on his miserable past, the sudden blare of music from the bar's stage caught his attention as the band began to play. Noticing that he completely wasted the rest of his cigarette, Fitz took another one from the pack but for some reason, even if his lighter was working perfectly fine and there wasn't any wind inside the bar, he couldn't seem to light his cigarette properly. Determined to try once more, he placed the stick between his lips and went to light it before someone bumped him from behind, making him lose his grip and drop the lighter on the wooden floor. Bewildered, Fitz simply stared at the object as if willing it to come back to him when someone began speaking from his peripheral.

"Don't you think all those miserable attempts at lighting that thing are a sign that you just shouldn't smoke?"

Turning to see where the voice came from, Fitz was immediately rooted in his place when his gaze focused on the woman in front of him. To say that she was gorgeous would be a huge understatement: with gorgeous brown skin and hair that skimmed past her shoulders, her doe-like eyes and perfectly curved eyelashes, and to her delicate nose and full lips, this woman was a goddess and could make any man fall at her feet, following every word and every command that came from her lips.

Feeling suddenly hot all over with sweaty palms and all, Fitz cleared his throat nervously before speaking, dumbfounded by her mere presence, "I'm sorry what?"

"Your cigarette, pretty boy. You've been struggling to light that thing for the past few minutes that I almost felt sorry for you." She threw a grin in his direction and Fitz swore he felt his knees buckle.

"It's my birthday", Fitz mumbled quietly, almost hitting himself immediately after. Desperate to carry on with the conversation but didn't have the guts and apparently the words to, he took a breath and tried to channel his college self: the campus hunk and the captain of the football team, equipped with all the smooth moves and pick-up lines that charmed his way into the long line of women who wanted to feel how to be fucked and ruined by Fitzgerald Grant. In fact, if his past self was in his situation, mystery woman would probably have a drink by now, accomplishing the first out of the many steps of how to woo a woman. But apparently, quitting the playing field and attempting to build a serious relationship made you lose your game and Fitz never found that decision to be stupid until this very moment.

"Oh, so you celebrate another year of life by slowly trying to kill yourself? That makes perfect sense."

"No. I mean- it is my birthday but it's also my mother's death anniversary so I thought I'd just-" Fitz stumbled with his words, not even sure why he was sharing this and defending himself to a total stranger. With his revelation, Fitz found her looking at him intently, as if trying to get a better read on him. Her gaze unwavering, he shifted uncomfortably, internally slapping himself for blowing his shot. His attempt to show interest and be forward with this girl resulted into his own pity party instead: talk about embarrassing.

Just when he thought he couldn't get more tense, Fitz swallowed hardly as his mystery woman began walking towards him before his very eyes. As she got closer, his breaths started to come in pants; her mere proximity making it hard for him to breathe. After what seemed like forever, she finally came to a stop in front of him; their bodies close enough that their arms and knees brushed with the slightest movements. They were silent for a short amount of time, drinking in the closeness and the atmosphere that surrounded them before she picked up his discarded lighter on the floor and reached for one of his cigarettes. Looking directly into his gaze, she tipped his chin, placed the cigarette in between his lips and lit it for him. With their eyes still locked, Fitz took a drag of the cigarette, hoping it would cloud his mind enough for him to ignore the throbbing erection in his pants, as a result of her earlier actions.

Propping her chin on her hand, she looked thoughtful before she spoke again, "Seeing as it's you're your special day, how about I make you a deal. Tonight, we each don't have a story. No responsibilities. I look at you and I can see the sadness linger in your eyes; all the pain and hurt you have. So for tonight, there'll be nothing from our pasts. Let us celebrate you tonight. Just like it's supposed to be. Just you and me in the now."

Emboldened by the intoxicating combination of the smoke and the warmth of her skin seeping through his, Fitz allowed himself to let go of his inhibitions and take her hand lightly into his, "So what? If I decide to be the guy in a bar looking for some fun, who would that make you?"

Her eyes showing her amusement, she placed her free hand on his shoulder before reaching up to him. With her warm breath fanning on his neck and her soft lips at the shell of his ear, she dropped her voice to a sultry tone before whispering,

"Well, if you think you can handle it, why don't you find out."

A/N: Okay! I don't know how I did but I hope you guys like it and stay tuned for the second part! Please let me know what you think by leaving a review after you read and hit the follow or favorite button if you want me to continue and what your ideas are for the next few chapters! You can tweet me at: goldwyndempsey. Again, thank you guys for the feedback and please please review!