Answers continued…

He didn't like the direction this was going, not one bit. Uneasy, he asks… "Olivia, what happened? What did you do?"

She can barely look him in the eye, as painfully she goes on to recall, "I…I was hysterical, I started screaming at him… screaming for him to stop… but it only caused him to cry harder and louder… and then… then…" she chokes, struggling to get the words out.

Alarmed... "Did you hurt him?!" He fires in accusation; his imagination already plaguing him with images, as it starts to put the pieces together… She couldn't, could she? She wouldn't? A huge part of him doesn't even want her to answer him, just in case she confirms his deepest fears, and then what, where would they go from there? Her disappearance was one thing; physically hurting their son was another thing entirely. He would never be able to forgive her, not for that…

Her hesitation to answer however causes him to immediately think the worst; and it's then that he completely loses his composure.

He approaches her… "Olivia, did you HURT him?!" He frantically yells, shaking her, driven solely by his frustrations and fears; she trembles in his grasp… "Answer me, damn it!"

Crying openly now, she looks at him through red ringed eyes, before shaking her head…"No… no, I didn't hurt him…" She confirms; but then bulldozer him with a second truth instead, by regretfully admitting… "But God help me Fitz, for a brief moment a part of me wanted to…I just wanted it all to stop!"

As soon as the haunting words leave her lips, he lets go of her, as if stung by them; her confession rocking him to the core. Unsteady, he takes a few steps backwards, wisely distancing himself from her, before heavily sinking back onto his chair. He cradles his head in his hands, suddenly feeling sick, unable to comprehend it all, or better yet even begin to understand how any of this could have taken place without his knowledge? Had he been so blind? Since her return, Olivia has continued to accept her blame in all of this, but has he even thought about the role he's played? He looks at her now, the woman he once gave his heart and soul too, now drowning in a pool of her regret and misgivings, her pain still so raw, as if it had only happened yesterday. And it's clear to him that she has suffered, but then again haven't they all suffered here? Joshua had gone without a mother for far too long, he had lost his wife, and almost lost his job in the process too, not to mention the strain that this has put on the rest of his family; all at her hands. And now he must digest the knowledge that she could have potentially caused harm to their son!

It's almost too much, and they have only skimmed the surface, for one he doesn't even know where she went; where had she been hiding all these years? Did she seek help with her depression, or if not, why come back now if she still poses a danger to their son? He needs to know, but he's also acutely aware that maybe they have both had enough for one night…

"Olivia… Olivia..."

She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand, before anxiously raising her head. Brown eyes meeting blue, as he questions her gently… "Look if this is too much, then let me know? I can come back another day, if that would be easier...?"

"No, it's okay…" she sniffs, "I want to get this over with, it's just hard..."

He nods in agreement, he might not be as visibly shaken as she is, but inside he was mess too; which would probably account for his earlier actions; before today he had never handled her in such a way, and he suddenly feels ashamed by his behaviour… "Olivia, I'm sorry for shaking you, I shouldn't have…"

"Don't Fitz, please, there's no need to apologise; we're both on edge…"

"Even so, I…"

"Fitz I'm fine, let's just forget it and move on please"

He pauses, "Okay, but it won't happen again… on that I promise…"

Humbly, she acknowledges him, before taking a resolute stance, determined to press on and see this through to the end... "So, where were we?"

He swallows, "You said you wanted to hurt Josh…"