The amount of reviews, favorites, and follows is CRAZY! You guys are incredible. I'm so glad people seemed to like the chapter. Somebody pointed out how Fitz went to the hospital to see Liv in last week's episode just like he did in this story. My jaw dropped! No need to copy my ideas, Shonda, I'll come work for you. ;)

Twenty-three days after the accident that almost took her life, Olivia walked out of the hospital and into a sunny Washington D.C. afternoon. Harrison was by her side carrying her bag, and she was thankful that he had come to pick her up and take her home. Olivia took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. Over three weeks of being surrounded by typical hospital scents and sounds had made her realize how nice it was to be outside and feel the sunshine on her skin. When they reached her apartment, she allowed Harrison to walk her into her home and help her get situated, and when he was sure that she was okay, he left her with a kiss on the cheek and a smile. Olivia had questioned him and the rest of the team constantly about the state of Olivia Pope & Associates and they had assured her that things were running smoothly. They hadn't accepted any new clients without her, but they had wrapped up a few cases and made sure Olivia's pride and joy kept running even in her absence. She was thankful for that, but couldn't wait to get back to work herself. Her doctor had made Olivia promise that she would take at least another week to recover at home before returning to work, and while it pained her to stay away, she planned on honor that promise.

She made her way into her kitchen and found a small box of fresh muffins with a little note from Abby attached to it. Olivia smiled at the sweet gesture, and continued on to her refrigerator. Opening it, she noticed that it was better stocked that it ever had been when she was in charge of the grocery shopping, and she made a mental note to thank Abby for that too. She poured herself a glass of water and continued on to her bedroom. A smile spread on her face when she saw her bed. She really couldn't wait to sleep in her own sheets, with her own pillows, in a bed that was actually comfortable.

Although she really hadn't done much all day, Olivia was tired by the time the sun began to set outside. Her Chinese take-out sat half-eaten on the coffee table, and she was curled up on the couch watching CNN without really paying attention to it. Her mind had drifted to Fitz and the nightly phone calls they had shared every day since their talk in the hospital. Fitz had called her every single day at eight o'clock at night, and they had talked for about 15 minutes about everything and nothing at all. She'd come to rely on those calls to make her smile – something he was always capable of doing. Checking the time, Olivia realized it would be another hour before he would call, and she sighed tiredly. She really hated to admit it, but the day had exhausted her and made her realize that she was not back to full health quite yet. The couch suddenly seemed awfully comfortable, and Olivia sank a little deeper into the cushions.

When her phone rang at exactly eight o'clock, Olivia was startled out of a much needed nap. She reached for the small cell phone, and answered it with a smile.

"Hey.", she greeted him sleepily.

"Open your door.", Fitz replied without bothering to even say hello.

A rush of unexpected happiness flooded her body and she pushed herself off the couch. Olivia knew her sweats were wrinkled and her hair was most likely messy after her nap, but she didn't stop to fix herself before she opened the door. When she did, Olivia was greeted with the sight of the handsome President holding a huge bouquet of flowers.

"Do you know how difficult it is to order flowers when you are the President of the United States?", he grinned.

Olivia threw her head back and laughed a genuine, deep belly laugh that made Fitz grin even wider.

"What are you doing here?", Olivia asked, still smiling. "You've left the White House more for private reasons in the last few weeks than other presidents do in a whole term."

She stepped back to let Fitz come in and then closed the door behind him. When she turned around, Olivia was reminded just how gorgeous he truly was. His suit fit perfectly and the flag pin she had given him so long ago was fastened in its usual spot. His large hands held the most beautiful flowers she'd ever seen, and his smile gave her butterflies.

"I don't know if I have a vase big enough for those.", Olivia said, pointing to the stunning assortment of lilies.

He shrugged and shot her one of his winning smiles.

"Got a bucket?"

Shaking her head, Olivia took the flowers out of his hands and took them into a kitchen. It took a moment, but she finally found an old glass vase big enough. Once she had arranged the bouquet on the kitchen table, she joined Fitz in the living room.

"Thank you.", she smiled. "They are absolutely gorgeous. You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I wanted to. And I wanted to come over to welcome you home."

"The Secret Service must loathe you.", she snickered, and he really couldn't disagree.

"They are definitely working for their money with me around.", Fitz admitted lightly.

He grabbed her hand and let her over to the couch, where a cream colored, soft blanket sat rolled up into a ball and pushed into a corner. They sat down together but he made sure not to sit too close, because they had promised each other to start fresh, and that included taking their time with everything. Olivia tucked her feet under the blanket and watched him as he took of his suit jacket and rolled his shirt sleeves up slightly. Then he turned to face her with a smile.

"You look tired.", he remarked, giving her knee a quick, sweet squeeze.

"I was actually sleeping when you called. I think I fell asleep watching the news. I guess I was more exhausted than I thought."

"I'm sorry for waking you."

"No, no.", Olivia interjected. "I would never be able to sleep through the night if I took a long nap now."

They looked at each other for a moment, and Fitz couldn't help but reach out to her. He cupped her face in his large hand and allowed his thumb to caress her cheek. Olivia leaned into the touch and enjoyed the warmth it ignited within her.

"I'm glad you stopped by… even if you really shouldn't."

He smiled at her: "I just wanted to make sure you settled in okay, and I realized something."

"Yeah?"

"We know each other so well, and you know things about me that nobody else knows, but there are so many little things that we never talked about. I don't know your favorite color or your biggest fear or your most cherished childhood memory."

"You want to play 20 questions with me.", Olivia laughed, truly surprised.

"I thought that would be a good way to really start fresh.", he smiled in return.

"Alright. But I get to start!", she giggled and her giddiness made Fitz happy. "What's your favorite animal, Mr. President?"

"That's easy. I love horses. I grew up with them on the ranch and I have always been surrounded by them, so obviously, they are the greatest animal out there. I think Karen gets her love for horses from me. Even when she was tiny she had absolutely no fear of them."

Olivia smiled at the look on his face when he mentioned Karen. She knew he loved all of his children, but his only girl had a special place in her dad's heart.

"Okay, it's my turn.", Fitz said and thought about his question for a moment. "What's your favorite thing about yourself?"

"Mh. I'm not sure, I never really thought about that. I like that I am a determined person, because it got me to where I am today. It made it possible for me to open my own firm and be successful with it."

"I like that about you too. It's a trait we have in common.", he replied and Olivia nodded in agreement.

"What's your favorite treat? And any kind of brown liquid does not count!", she teased, even though her tone held a silent warning to it.

"Funny, Ms. Pope. I like Peeps. You know… those little marshmallow chicks?", Fitz asked and Olivia threw her head back, laughing.

"You do not! They are gross!"

"Do too! And they are delicious, but only on Easter, of course. You have no room to make fun of me, Liv. You eat popcorn like it's going out of business.", he winked.

"Beats Peeps any day!", Olivia smiled, shaking her head. "Your turn."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Well, I like white and creamy colors to wear, obviously, but I wouldn't call them my favorites. I actually really like blue, but not your typical baby-boy-blue, but more of a grey-blue."

Fitz stared at her for a few seconds, and then he laughed his deep belly laugh that Olivia loved so much but barely ever got to hear.

"Only you would answer the simplest question with the world's most complex answer, Livy."

She shrugged: "I'm complex like that."

"Now that I can agree with.", Fitz smiled at her.

"What's your ultimate goal in life?", Olivia asked, taking her turn with a new question. "Not professionally, because you're already President of the United States and that's pretty great if you ask me, but personally. One day, when you look back at your life, what do you want to see?"

Fitz considered her question for a long moment, his face serious and his eyes downcast. Olivia hadn't meant for the question to break their easy banter, and she almost told him not to answer when he lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

"You.", he simply replied.

"What?"

"You asked me what my ultimate goal is – what I want to see when I look back at my life.", Fitz explained. "The answer is you. One day, I want to be old and content and think about all of the things I did wrong and everything I did right, and I want to realize that no matter how many highs and lows I've overcome, you are there at the end. I want to sit on the porch on my ranch, and when I turn my head, I want to see you sitting by my side. You are my ultimate goal, Livy, you are my end game."

Olivia stared at him, her bottom lip trembling softly. Tears had gathered in her eyes and she couldn't believe his words. She had often imagined their future, because that's simply what you did when there was a special someone in your life, but Olivia had never allowed herself to look that far ahead, because their circumstances didn't allow for that. In that moment, with him looking at her with so much sincerity and love, Olivia realized for the first time in her life, that she was one of the very few lucky people that were blessed to find their true soul mate.

She pushed herself up and knelt in front of him. Then she wrapped her arms around Fitz' neck, pulling his body against her own. She rested her cheek against his and waited for the moment when his arms wrapped around her body, two large hands covering the expanse of her back. Olivia pushed a hand through his hair and breathed in his masculine scent.

"I don't know how we are going to do this, I don't know what it will take or how long it will take…", she whispered into his ear. "…but I will do anything to make this fresh start count. I don't know how this will ever not be an impossible situation, but you are my end game too, Fitz. I promise you I will do my very best to make sure I'm sitting on that porch with you some day."