Promise Me

Her eyes flicker back and forth, taking in what she can see of the tiny room. It's actually more like four cracked, disheveled walls with a door. There is a bed and a small table, nothing more. Thr lighting leaves a lot to be desired, and the rancid smell of mold and death permeate the air. This is definitely a far cry from the five star hotels and lavish inner DC apartment she is used to. This is a far wail from their home in Vermont. This... This room, this hole in the wall where she is being held captive... She wouldn't wish this on her worst enemy.

How did she get here? How did Olivia Pope go from dancing in her living room, resolved to just do what was best for her, to being held captive and detained like a rat in a cage?

From her count it has been a week, maybe longer since she had been taken. As far as she knew, Olivia Pope didn't have any enemies. Her father, Jake, even Fitz did, but even with her given profession, Liv didn't think she had caused anyone to do anything like this. So the question that remained was which man was the reason for her being taken, and why?

It was kind of ironic when you think about it. The woman who spent her days appearing free and determined, was just an empty vessel, being held captive by her paralyzing love for a man she may never have, and the man she was trying to stand in the sun with. To top it all off, her smothering, controlling father had a way of making her doubt not only her self worth, but if she could ever allow her heart to truly belong to any one man. Olivia Carolyn Pope, the most powerful woman in DC, was a prisoner to the men in her life. She should have known that the moment she chose to renounce the bullshit and claim back her life, that something like this would happen.

There is a tiny window, but she can tell by the thickness of the glass that her screams for help would fall on deaf ears. Liv goes to stand off of the bed to look out of what she can reach of the window, and winces as the shackle around her ankle tightens. Her body begins to tense as she hears someone approaching the room, and she darts back to the bed, afraid of what is about to happen.

She closes her eyes tightly, and tries to absorb all that the people are saying.

"How long do you think until he gives in?"

"Honestly, I'm shocked he hasn't already. Maybe he needs a little nudge to get this party started."

"What do you suggest?"

There is silence and Liv knows that her captor is now sorting through his mind, the best possible way to get the results he wants.

"Rough her up, but not much. I have to admit, she is a pretty sight to behold." a third party says. Liv knows this voice, she's heard this voice quite a bit she has stared this coward in the eyes and told them more than they needed to know about themselves. Right now, they were proving her right...

She hears the lock to the door being tampered with, and soon a blinding light floods the room.

"GET UP!" the voice yells causing Liv to wince in response.

Liv stands off of the bed and although she knows what is about to happen, she holds her head high, defiantly. Her arms are crossed, and she looks him straight in the eyes. He didn't scare her in the White House, and he damn sure doesn't scare her here.

"Andrew, I don't know what you have planned, but Fitz won't give in. I'm not worth it."

Those were the last words she uttered before a searing pain impacted her face, and her world went black.

XxXxX

Fitz paced the floor of the situation room, not sure of how much more he could take. As if Jerry's death and the pestering existence of Jake Ballard weren't enough, Liv was now being held captive, only God knows where, in attempts to get him to wage war on an innocent, unsuspecting country. The love of his life was being held captive, probably in some decrepit building, all for what? When Fitz had realized that Andrew had authorized the kidnapping of Liv, he was so stunned, he hadn't been able to detain the man fast enough. Now the love of his life was missing, and the man who had taken her was in the wind.

Fitz jumped slightly as the door flung open, and Cyrus stormed into the room with none other than...

"Mr. President I..."

Before anyone knew what was happening, Fitz had Jake gripped up by his collar, and had pinned him to the wall.

"What the fuck did you let happen? What, were you so concerned about getting into her bed that you failed to notice someone enter her apartment and take her? You seem to always fuck things up Jake. What kind of officer, what kind of agent are you to let this happen on your watch? I should choke the life from your pathetic, worthless body right now."

Cyrus approached Fitz and boldly rested a hand on his arm. "Mr. President, let him go. We all want Liv back as quickly and as quietly as possible. He isn't the reason she is missing. You know that, and I know that."

Fitz could feel Cyrus trembling as his hand rested on his arm. This didn't stop him from shooting Cyrus a glance that if it could, would have struck him dead on the spot.

"Fitz, let him go. Fitz... There's a tape." Cyrus pleaded as his eyes glanced to the confused men, all aiming their weapons at Jake, daring him to move. Fitz slammed Jake against the wall once more for good measure, before releasing his grip, causing the man to slide to the floor.

"Play the tape."

"Sir, shouldn't we wait for Vice President Nichols?"

"PLAY THE DAMN TAPE CYRUS!"

Fitz walked to the head of the table, but refused to sit. Cyrus hesitantly took his seat next to Fitz, and the tape began to play. Both he and Cyrus looked onto the screen in horror, as the love of his life was standing before them, battered and bruised. Fitz immediately left the room as he felt the vomit rushing to his throat. After taking a few moments to gather himself, he returned, and the tape began to play again.

Standing in front of the camera was his Livvie, his sweet baby. Her hair was in it's natural curls, and was caked with dirt and grime. One eye was swollen shut, and a dark bruise appeared across the side of her face. Fitz winced as he could almost feel the pain radiating towards the same parts of his body. He willed himself to absorb her pain, so she would no longer have to suffer.

"Mr. President, we have given you chance after chance to do what we have asked. Time and time again, you have chosen your pathetic conscience over our demands. We come to you again, demanding that you wage war on West Angola, or your sweet baby will suffer the price of your indecision."

Fitz stood, but immediately fell into his seat as Liv began to speak. "Fitz, you know what they want... You promised me... Show them who you are."

Liv's words played over and over in Fitz's head as the tape froze on her face. He did promise her, but right now, he wasn't sure he could go through with it. Was Liv's life worth waging war? Was not going to war worth Liv's life?

"Get me the man she calls Huck!" Fitz ordered as he stormed out of the room, and memories of his promise flooded his mind.

Flashback

"Liv, what are you doing?" A naked Fitz asked as he walked through the Santa Barbara apartment he had rented for them.

It was the week before Fitz's inauguration. Mellie and the kids were in North Carolina visiting relatives, so Liv and Fitz decided to take this time to enjoy as much of one another as they possibly could. Right now, all Fitz wanted was Liv naked and in the tub with him, but she was playing, and he far from happy about it.

"I'm coming Fitz! I swear you act like we haven't been going at it for the past five hours."

"But Livvie! I wanna take a bath!" Fitz whined as he finally found her pouring them both a glass of wine.

"Liv, I swear you have 30 seconds to get your naked, sexy ass in here or else..."

"Or else what? Mr. President Elect?"

Fitz's mouth ran dry as he watched Liv turn and saunter towards him. Her breasts and ass bounced slightly, but not too much, with every step she took. Her flat stomach and toned thighs beckoned him to worship every inch of them with his tongue. Her body was flawless. he knew it, and based on the way she was swaying her hips, she knew it as well.

"There, I'm done." She said with a smile as she handed Fitz his glass and took a long drink from hers.

The two of them made their way into the bathroom, and Fitz helped Liv into the tub, before climbing in himself. Once she was settled, Fitz positioned himself between her thighs, and reclined back, resting his head on her chest. He sighed as Liv's legs instinctively wrapped around his chest.

"Do we have any candles that are not lit in this moment?" Liv asked as she looked around the bathroom and saw every surface, littered with the flickering flames of candlelight.

"Hmmm... No, I think that's all of them." Fitz responded jokingly.

The sat in silence for a few moments, and Liv thought Fitz had drifted off to sleep until he began to speak.

"I don't want this to end." He said as he grabbed her hand and sandwiched it between his much larger ones.

"Fitz... We said that we'd stop... You're going to be president of the United States of America. I can't be your mistress."

"You are NOT my mistress. You mean more to me than that Liv."

"Still, you've seen what happens to men who run the nation and have someone on the side who is not their wife. Bill Clinton was a great president who did great things for this nation. But when you hear his name, all thoughts race to Monica Lewinsky, a blue dress, and a cigar that had been in rather interesting places. I don't want that for you Fitz. You deserve to be great and you can't do that if we are caught."

"I don't want this presidency if it means that I lose you Liv."

"You won't lose me Fitz. We just can't carry on like this," she paused motioning between their two bodies. "in the White House."

"I want you to have a secret service detail. You'll be my communications director so I'm sure I work out some sort of security for you."

"Fitz, that's ridiculous. I'll be fine. No one knows, and as long as we stick to our deal, no one will know."

"What if someone does find out? What if they try to harm you? What if some psycho terrorists try to kidnap you because they want something from me? I want you safe Liv."

"Fitz, you're over thinking things. I'm sure I'll be fine. But there is one thing that I want you to promise me."

"What Livvie?"

"If, in the event someone does find out. If someone tries to use me against you. Don't let them Fitz. If my life jeopardizes your morals, your beliefs, your presidency, don't give in."

"Liv..."

"Promise me that if I am taken, you won't give in to my captors demands."

"Fine, I promise."

"Good, now take me to bed."

XxXxX

Fitz was pulled out of his memory, by the sound of someone knocking on the door. A few moments later, Lauren poked her head through the door, announcing that the man named Huck had indeed arrived.

"Thank you Lauren, send him in and tell Daniel that I'm ready."

Fitz watched as Huck entered the room, but remained close to the door. He knew Huck wasn't a people person, he'd witnessed that on the trail. He remembered Liv telling him that he had to keep his distance, and Huck would come to him when ready, and by all means necessary, refrain from touching him.

"Huck, thank you so much for coming." Fitz said as he walked over the his scotch decanter and poured himself a glass of the amber liquid. "Scotch?"

"Uhm... I don't think that's a good idea. Liv wouldn't..."

"I won't tell if you won't." Fitz responded with a friendly smile. He knew all too well the power Liv had over people. When she said to not do something, they listened.

Huck stood for a few moments and decided a little scotch couldn't possibly hurt. Not with all of the "whiskey" he planned to consume later on. He finally nodded his acceptance, and after watching Fitz for a few moments, began easing his way further into the oval.

Fitz handed Huck his glass of scotch, and motioned for him to sit on the sofa across from him. He grabbed the decanter, and placed it on the table between them, before taking his seat in the opposite sofa.

"Look Huck. I know you may not think very highly of me, but I assure you that Liv is the love of my life. I am seconds away from waging war on an innocent country, if it means getting her back. I will be impeached, and I will become the most hated man in the world, and I will do that as long as I have her by my side."

"So why haven't you?" Huck asked although he already knew the answer. He too had seen the tape and could immediately tell what Liv truly meant. Fitz hung his head at hearing Huck's words. How does one explain that...

"You promised her, didn't you? You promised if the two of you were ever in this position that you would not give in to her captors." Fitz's tear filled eyes shot up and looked at Huck who offered a small smile. "Don't worry, she made me promise the same thing."

"And me..."

Fitz and Huck turned to see Rowan standing in the doorway of the oval. Undeterred by the glares in his direction, Rowan entered the room and poured himself a glass of scotch, before claiming his spot on the chair between the two sofas. The tension in the room was so thick you couldn't cut it with a knife, but as all three men sat and assessed one another, it was clear that all egos and issues would be set aside for the sake of saving the most important woman in their lives.

"Mr. President, if it will save time, I can get you Liv's location. That's as far as I can get you though as she has tossed me out of her life. You will have to save her."

Fitz looked at Rowan wondering if this was yet another trap. The last thing he needed was for a repeat ambush similar to the one he had witnessed the night before, to occur.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because whether you or Huck, or Ballard like it or not, that is my child. The person whom I created and right now, her life is in danger. Now, I will get you to her, but you must do the rest."

"And what will you be doing?" Fitz asked, still slightly wary of the man sitting next to him.

"Me, Mr. President? Why. I will be declaring war on your Vice President, and thr head of the RNC."

The room fell eerily silent for a fee moments before Huck decided to speak up for both he and Fitz. "How can you get us Liv's location?" Huck asked as even he hadn't been able to find so much as a crumb of evidence suggesting where she was being held.

"Huck, I am a targeting man. I have many, many enemies. Do you honestly think I would allow MY child to wander around DC with her head in the clouds and NOT be able to know where she is every single second of every single day?"

"You chipped her."

"I chipped her."

XxXxX

Liv woke up to yet another day in hell. Her side was hurting her from the blow she took to her ribs, and her cheek wasn't fairing much better. All she wanted was to go home, take a bath, drink some wine, and curl up with Fitz.

The past few days had put a lot in perspective for her. She had spent so much time pushing Fitz. She pushed him to be a better man. She pushed him to be a great president. She pushed him away. After sitting in decaying cell with nothing but bread and water that she refused to eat for at least ten days, Liv was done pushing. She promised herself if she got out of this situation alive, she would no longer fight their love. She would embrace it head on; there would be no looking back.

Her thoughts were disrupted by the sound of yelling and then gunfire somewhere inside of the building. Her body began to tense as the shots grew louder. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew that this couldn't be good.

Liv stood on shaky legs, and tried to find a place to seek refuge. She decided on behind the table, but in her haste to make it there, she tripped and hit her head on the frame of the bed, rendering her unconscious.

The sound of the door being kicked in startled Liv awake, but the shooting pain in her head prevented her from opening her eyes. She lay on the ground weak and motionless, hoping whoever it was would just go away. Her time was up and this was where she was going to die. She just wanted to do so in peace.

She heard the muffled voices surrounding her, but she still refused to open her eyes. Her body soon became weightless, as if someone were lifting her up. That's when she smelled it. The all too familiar scent of cologne and his pheromones, that mixture that was distinctly him was bringing a blanket of peace over her. She felt his arms wrap tightly around her as his body lowered so she was now sitting on his lap. No matter what happened, she refused to open her eyes, in fear that she would realize this was all a hallucination.

It wasn't until she felt the back of his hand stroking her cheek, and his lips brushing against hers that she allowed her eyes to flutter open. When she looked up and her brown eye met his stormy grays, Liv knew she wasn't dreaming.

"You came for me. Fitz you promised..."

"Shhh... Everything is okay Livvie and I'll explain later. For now, let me get you out of here. I've got a cabin set up for just the two of us for once you are cleared medically."

"Okay."

"Okay?" Fitz asked as he was expecting some form of argument to come his way.

"Okay... I don't care where I am in this world, as long as I'm with you."

"Then let's get you home."

Fitz stood and couldn't help the tears that fell from his eyes as Liv wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, before burying her head in his chest. "Fitz, whenever I'm with you, I am home."

Fitz kissed the top of her head and cried harder as he cradled the love of his life in his arms. He took a deep breath and carried her out of captivity, and took her home.