Hey everyone! I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. Life decided to throw a serious curveball that resulted in emergency surgery two days ago. Everything is fine and i am slowly working my way back into writing. I know this update is shorter than normal, but it was all I had the strength to get out. This chapter and maybe the first paragraph or two of the next officially end "The Bodyguard portion of this story which means this story is nearing it's end. I'm figuring two or three more chapters then an Epilogue before I begin the sequel. That's a promise for this one. Thank you all for reading and checking in during my absence.

"Ms. Pope, you are free to go. Now, you must take it easy, no heavy lifting, and no jumping in front of bullets anytime soon."

"Yes Doc."

"Now, do you have someone at home to help you with day to day tasks."

"N-" Liv started to answer but was instantly cut off.

"I'll see to it that she's properly taken care of. Personally." Fitz interjected, the tone of his voice making the decision final.

"Ok well if there are no other questions, I'll let the two of you be on your way." The doctor said hastily before scurrying out the door. Even he could sense the storm that was brewing.

"Fitz ..."

"Olivia, you are staying with me. You are injured and you need help. You will stay in the residence with me and that is FINAL!" Fitz spat showing he the conversation was not up for discussion. Honestly he felt bad, things should have never gotten to this point.

Why didn't I listen to her?

"And if I say no?" Liv spat back crossing her arms. It wasn't that she didn't want to stay with Fitz, it was just the principle of him making the decision for her.

"Then I will be forced to have my men detain you until you are better..."

"Fitz..."

"Livvie, I love you, I'm in love with you, you're the love of my life. I want... I need to take care of you, to be there for you. Please, just let me. It's my fault you are hurt to begin with. If I had just-"

"Fitz, stop. We both knew the dangers of my job going in. If it wasn't there it would have been somewhere else. I was doing my job, and because I did my job, the nation still has their leader. I. Regret. Nothing."

Fitz sat on the edge of Liv's bed and leaned in, moving a stray hair from her face. Even in a hospital gown with her curls running wild, he had never seen anything more breathtaking in his life. To think he could have lost her was something Fitz still hadn't gotten over. Fitz leaned in closer, moving his lips gently across hers.

"So... Is... Loving... Me... Part... Of... Your... Job..." Fitz asked,making sure to emphasize each word with a kiss.

"No... It's... Not. It's... A... Casualty... Of... War..." Liv responded, strategically emphasizing each word with a kiss of her own.

"Then what's the problem?" Fitz asked sitting back, his mood suddenly serious.

"Fitz, it would be-"

"I swear if you say inappropriate after everything we have shared. After everything we have done. Livvie this isn't a game to me! This is our lives we're talking about! It's a fact that I want you in mine. So I don't see what the problem is... Unless... Unless you don't want me in yours." Fitz's words trailed off as the possibility of her not wanting him began to sink in.

Does she hate me for what happened? Could I blame her if she did?

"Fitz, that isn't true and you know it!"

"Then WHAT!? Tell me because I'm no mind reader! WHY WON'T YOU LET ME TAKE CARE OF YOU!?" Fitz spat far harsher than he intended causing Liv to jump.

"THE NATION WOULDN'T HANDLE IT! SEEING US TOGETHER! AND THEIR REJECTION OF US WOULD KILL ME FAR WORSE THAN ANY BULLET!" Liv screamed finally admitting her biggest fear out loud. Sudden an eerie sense of calm fell over her. "I need you Fitz, and for the nation to reject what we..."

Fitz froze at her admission. She hadn't seen the news, she hadn't read the papers. She's been lying in the hospital with no clue of what was going on in the world around them. Fitz reached over and grabbed a newspaper off of the chair and laid it on Liv's lap.

"They already know." Fitz sighed. Liv picked up the paper and low and behold a picture of the two of them just after the shooting graced the front cover. Liv was laying limp in Fitz's arms, his lips pressed to her forehead. He was clearly distressed, and he was holding her in his lap as if she were a small child. The headline read "Has Our POTUS Found Love; Is It Too Late?"

Liv looked up at Fitz with wide eyes. He nodded,motioning for her to read the article.

"An assassination attempt on President Grant was thwarted when a woman seen above threw herself in front of the president. She was shot twice, once in the arm, and once in the stomach. The woman has been identified as Olivia Pope, his head SSA agent. One must wonder from the intimate moment that followed immediately after the shooting, if there is more to their relationship than meets the eye. President Grant and Ms. Pope have been spotted out on the town enjoying meals together, on numerous occasions, and one must wonder if the king has finally found his queen."

Liv set the paper down and Fitz handed her another. Once again they were on the front page.

The headline read "The King Has Finally Found His Queen". There was picture of Liv sitting on his lap, the two were engaged in a rather intimate kiss.

"So now you see Livvie, America knows and if I send you home all alone to fend for yourself, what kind of boyfriend would I be? It is my duty, and my privilege to keep you safe and spoil you rotten." Fitz said with a smirk. Liv wasn't sure if it was the crooked smile he was wearing, clearly showing he knew he won, or the fact that she truly wanted him to be the one to care for her but she was finally willing to admit defeat.

"Fine."

"Really?" Fitz asked, jumping off of the bed like he had just won the lottery.

"Really. But just know there will be no funny business Mr."

"We'll see..."

2 weeks later...

Liv woke up once again from the same nightmare. Fitz was on stage in Ocean City, ready to deliver his speech. She scanned the room and spotted Hal holding the camera and took off across the stage, trying to beat the bullet she was sure would soon follow. Liv make it half way across the stage and her feet refused to move any further. It was as if something was holding her in place. Liv screamed out for Fitz but it was too late. Liv heard the gun shot, and watched the force of the bullet rip through Fitz, throwing him to the ground. She was too late...

Liv jumped out of bed and ran to the window. The moon was relatively low in the sky. It was so big and so close, it seemed as if she could touch it. Liv placed her hands on the glass, as if she were touching the moon. Liv turned and sighed. She made the biggest mistake of her life refusing to share a bed with Fitz. She was worried about appearances so she opted to stay in a guest room after the first night there. Then it dawned on her. The only night she hadn't had the nightmare was the night she rested in Fitz's arms.

Fitz laid in bed tossing and turning for hours until he had finally fallen asleep. It had been two weeks since Liv had come to stay with him in the residence. At first he was upset when she refused to share his bed, but decided to let it go. She would come around eventually, right? Fitz sighed and finally drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, Fitz awoke to the most pleasurable feeling. Liv was straddling his waist, and was running her tongue across his chest. Fitz laid there afraid to make a sound. He didn't want to risk discovering this was all a dream. Liv ran her tongue lazily around Fitz's nipple, causing a moan to betray his lips. The moment Liv heard the moan, her lips came crashing down on his, her tongue greedily seeking entrance into his mouth. Fitz returned the kiss as his hands crept their way into her hair, and the kiss deepened.

What began as a kiss, became an urgent shedding of clothing as the two bodies felt the painful need to become one. As clothes found their way to different corners of the room, Fitz found his way between Liv's parted thighs. As much as Fitz wanted to speak, the look in her eyes showed that Liv needed him, and she couldn't wait much longer. It was as if she was broken, and their joining was the only thing that could fix her.

Fitz slowly slid into Liv's core, his eyes remained locked with hers. Each thrust, each kiss, each moan cried out in the throes of passion spoke in a way words would never allow. Liv didn't just want him in this moment, she needed him. She needed his assurance that everything would be ok, and he spent the better part of the evening assuring her it would be.

As their bodies reached their fifth and final climax of the evening, Fitz fell to Liv's side, pulling her into his arms. Neither of them spoke, now was not the time. Now was the time to hold and be held. Now was the time for their love to speak, healing them both. Liv rested her head on Fitz's chest and drifted off to sleep. Fitz followed suit a few moments later.

The sun was beginning to rise and Fitz felt a chill sweeping over his body. With his eyes still closed, he began creeping his way over to Liv's side. As he reached the opposite side of the bed, his eyes sprung open to find that she was not there. Fitz groaned and stretched and threw on a pair of shorts before setting off to find the love of his life. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to look far. Fitz crept his way towards the family room and heard Liv speaking to someone on the phone.

"Yes Abby, the building is located on K Street. I think it would be perfect. We would be in the heart of DC. "

...

"I know $5,000 a month is a lot for rent but I honestly think it's worth it. My phone is already ringing off the hook with potential clients."

...

"Because Abby, Fitz fired me"

...

"Well, more like we both agreed that me being his bodyguard was pretty much done."

...

"Because Abby, he's not some sugar daddy. I'm jobless now and I have bills to pay. I need a job."

...

"I told you before, 27 million or not, I'm not touching that money unless I absolutely need to. Besides, I'd go stir crazy just twiddling my thumbs all day."

Fitz began walking towards Liv and bumped a table, alerting her of his presence.

"Abby, I have to go. I'll call you later... Yes that's the place. Let me know what you think after you see it... Ok byyyyyeeee." Liv ended the call and turned to Fitz.

"Good morning Ms. Pope." Fitz said as he stepped in and wrapped his arms around Liv's waist.

"Good morning Mr... President.." Liv returned as she lifted onto her toes to kiss Fitz good morning. Liv lazily swept her tongue across Fitz's lips, and was stunned when he stepped back instead of granting her access. Liv looked up and saw the sorrowful look that graced his face.

Shit, he overheard

"Fitz..."

"When?" Was all Fitz offered. There were so many ways Liv could dodge that question, but it was only right she told him now.

"I'm looking into offices right now. Abby is going to see one today on K Street. It supposedly has a glorious view of the White House. I'm going to transition into it. I'm not completely off the hook here just yet. Once I am finished training my replacement, I'll be officially relieved of my duties here, but Fitz, this doesn't mean I'm breaking up with you. I just need to work. I have bills to pay."

"I could pay your bills Livvie. I could-"

"Yes, you could and I know you would if I allowed you to. But I don't want your money Fitz, I want you. I want to work and feel like I'm accomplishing something. I want to go to sleep every night knowing that I'm doing my part. I want to come here after a stressful day and veg out on the couch with you and watch reruns of Reba and Big Bang Theory and bitch about how much of an ass my clients have been. I don't want to smother you." Liv said as she reached out and began stroking Fitz's cheek.

"Livvie, I... I can't protect you out there, not like I can in here."

"Fitz, I'm not built to live in a bubble. I'm built to enjoy my time in the bubble while still being able to access the outside world. I'm built for excitement and adventure. I'm built to work until I'm ready to pass out, and in some cases work through the exhaustion. I'm built to be a woman. I'm not built to be a princess. But that doesn't mean. That doesn't mean I don't want you. It doesn't mean I'm letting you go. It just means that we go to work and I'll come to your place after and we'll be us."

Fitz nodded knowing he really didn't have a choice. He just knew that them not being together the way they were now would make things more difficult in the long run. But then again, nothing worth it was ever easy.

"Fine, but I'm getting you security detail-"

"Fi-"

"Those are the terms. I'm not letting you go, and because I'm not letting you go, America, namely the paparazzi will stop at nothing to get to you. So, I will agree to your terms if you agree to mine." Fitz said, pulling Liv in even closer.

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"Yes, if that will make you happy then I agree to your terms. Now will you shut up and kiss me already?"