I wrote this a while ago and could not bring myself to finish it. I finally decided today in the morning that I will post it as it is, and then will try to do a time jump, or some other more radical thing to speed this story along and kind of revive it.

Then I saw Scandal's trailer, and HOLY SMOKES, I thought I would go right in and post this :)

I can't wait to see a lot of HOT Olitz! I can't wait to see the divorce! Good things are coming and happy reading :)

"Antonio, have you met Olivia before?"

"I haven't had the pleasure, though your reputation precedes you. Nice to meet you, Miss Pope"

"Please call me Olivia, Antonio, and nice to meet you too"

Fitz observed them from his perched position on his desk as they carried on with their small talk and hid a smile before dropping the bomb:

"Antonio, I also want you to know that Olivia is my girlfriend. Apart from being my campaign manager and advisor, she plays another important role in my life, so she will be heavily involved with everything we do in this room, in this house and for this country. Please bear this in mind"

Fitz could barely contain his laugh at the identical looks of incredulity and astonishment that registered on both Olivia's and Antonio's faces as they gawked at him in complete silence.

"Please, do sit down and let's get over with this meeting so you Antonio can go home to your family. I am sure there will be many long evenings and sleepless nights for us here in this office, but today is not one of those occasions"

Olivia and Antonio followed Fitz to the couches and sat opposite from him. Fitz pushed two thick envelops towards Antonio and explained:

"This is Bill number 9 on Education reform that the Congress pushed back to me. I want you to review it first and we can later discuss where we can give in on it. I want to see the bill passed, but I don't want to make it a meaningless bill. We have to stick to our points and proposals, but something's got to give. I want your honest opinion, no filters. This second document is my agenda for the UN meeting that will take place in London in four weeks. This will be my last international appearance as the President in my first term, so I want to make it count" – he could see that Olivia started squirming at his word "last", so he gave her a reassuring smile, trying to convey that he was still all in to try to win his reelection.

"I would like your feedback on the agenda and anything you would deem necessary that we need to add or remove. I have two main speeches to give there, and Olivia and I will start working on them next week. We would love your feedback once we are done. Any questions so far?"

"No, sir"

"Let's discuss it tomorrow in detail then. Now, tell me about your family and how you are all settling down here in DC"

The next few minutes passed in friendly conversation about Antonio's family, his wife and three children ("All girls! I am trying to persuade my wife to have at least one other male in the house, but she disagrees!"), and how they were all settling in their new house and new life in D.C. after relocating from Arizona.

Before long, Antonio could tell that his time with the President was over for the day and took and his leave. He shook Olivia's hand, still slightly incredulous to find out that she was much more than simply a political advisor to the President. As soon as the door to the Oval closed behind him, Olivia whirled around and fixed Fitz with her patent no-nonsense stare:

"Fitz! Are you out of your mind? You can't go around introducing me as your girlfriend to random people! You are still divorcing your wife, even though you are publicly separated, you still need to keep this quiet to win reelection and there is just so much at stake!"

Fitz watched her silently, standing by the door and breathing fire, and was completely turned on by her feistiness and zest. Her face was slightly flushed with indignation and the rise and fall of her breasts lured him closer to her. He pinned her to the door with his body and swallowed the rest of her speech, his mouth hot and demanding against hers. Unable to resist the temptation, his hands rose to grip her breasts, soft and pliant and responsive to his touch, and Olivia moaned helplessly into his mouth, enjoying his touch and affection, her angry words and indignation long forgotten.

Before they both got too carried away, Fitz forced his hands to grip Olivia's lower back and held her close, his lips moving from her mouth to her hairline. He inhaled her sweet scent, luxuriating in the feel of her body and enjoying her closeness.

"I know what's at stake, Liv, and I know that us coming out together right now is not great timing. But I trust him, and I want him to know who you are. I also want to be able to hold your hand and kiss you and touch you when I am with those people that I trust. I should have asked you first, and I am sorry for shocking you, but it felt damn good to finally introduce you as my girlfriend"

His crooked smile and heartfelt apology broke all Olivia's defenses and she could not help but kiss him again before taking his hand and tugging him out of the Oval.

"Let's go, Mr. President, I have a date with your son, and I can't be late"

They waved Lauren goodnight and headed into the Residency, falling into their usual evening routine. Olivia made sure to spend some time with Teddy almost every day, with little guy warming up to her almost immediately. Olivia was terrified of meeting Teddy at first, but she quickly realized that this quiet, serious and unassuming 2-year old was as much in need of love and affection as she was, and they bonded quickly on their interdependency. She loved to read to him and to play cars with him, and his desperate attempts to pronounce her name, without much success so far, almost always brought tears to her eyes.

Karen and Jerry were not very impressed with their father and the whole divorce mess, and the addition of Olivia into the picture made things even more awkward and aloof for the older Grant children. Fitz, ever the optimist, hoped and insisted that the hostility would only be temporary. But Teddy was easy. He basked in the love and attention that Olivia gave him, and Olivia in her turn enjoyed spending time with the little guy.

After Teddy was safely tucked in bed, it was Fitz' turn to take Olivia's hand and lead her away to the dining room, where he was dying to show her his surprise.

"What is this, Fitz?"

Olivia's wide eyes surveyed candles placed all over the dinner table in the room, taking in the soft music playing in the background (Fitz' favorite Sinatra). The table was full of covered plates, and the lights were already dimmed. She watched, eyes wide and incredulous, as Fitz took off his jacket and tie, carelessly discarding them on the sofa, before approaching her by the table.

"This, my love, is our dinner. I can't take you out on a real date today since my schedule was so full, I thought we could have a date here in the White House. And then I am planning to take you over there to the sofa and we will find a movie to watch. You are not allowed to turn on the news tonight, and we are not talking work. What do you say to my proposal, Miss Pope?"

"I say well played, Mr. Grant. Bring on that dinner"

Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight so brightly that he could not help but kiss her softly before pulling out the chair and inviting her to sit. The dinner carried on in hushed conversations, with Fitz entertaining Olivia with stories about Teddy and his mischiefs as well as tales of days long gone about his time with the Navy. Olivia always wanted to know more about that time of his life, which seemed foreign and distant to her. Before long, the food was all gone and Fitz decided it was time to show her his surprise.

"Stay here, I wanted to give you something"

He returned to the table holding a manila envelope, placing it in front of her with a flourish. Olivia didn't know why but her hands suddenly got clammy and the heartbeat she felt somewhere in her throat accelerated even more. She reached for the envelope, the thin gold bracelets that Fitz gave her as a surprise present earlier that day softly tingling in rhythm with the shaking of her delicate hands.

"Fitz, what is this?"

"Open it"

Olivia didn't remember the last time she felt her hands tremble so badly. She knew she was about to see something monumental, something that would change her life, something that she will piece together once she would stop her eyes from jumping all over the page and figure out the words on the crisp white paper. She gasped, her eyes filling with tears, as she quickly leafed to the last page and saw two signatures at the bottom of the document. Unable to contain her shaking hands, she dropped the pages she was holding and watched mutely as they slowly glided to the dinner table, under it and onto the soft carpet covering the floor. Fitz laughed at her reaction, her teary eyes and mess of paperwork on the floor not stopping him from enjoying this moment. In two long strides, he was on the other side of the table, kneeling in front of Olivia, brushing away her tears and giving her that crooked smile.

"Baby, say something"

"Fitz, I don't know what to say. Is this a joke, I can't believe it…"

"No, it is not a joke. I would never joke about this or like this with you. It's true and it's official, she signed the papers! I am a free man. I am your man"

Olivia let out a sob and collapsed on the floor next to him, snaking her arms around his neck. She cried long and hard, her face tucked in the crook of his neck, releasing her sadness and relief that the lonely years, the bad years of holidays by herself, birthdays spent waiting for his phone call, vacations foregone because she had nobody to go away with, dinners that she ignored because she couldn't and didn't want to eat alone, it was all behind her, and Fitz was a divorced man. He was truly free and he was truly hers.

Fitz let her cry all her sorrows out, understanding her need to let go of the past and mourn it properly. They had a lot of fights to win together, but she could truly be his and by his side now, and nothing was going to stop him anymore.

When he felt her sobs turn into softer whimpers, he pulled her up from the floor and carried her to the bathroom. He let her wash her face and drink some water before taking her back to the bedroom. Gently removing her shoes and blazer, he caught Olivia's eyes before starting to unbutton her blouse.

"Fitz, what are you doing? I need to go soon, it's late already". Even though Olivia spent a lot of time in the White House, she refused to stay the night, opting to go home after tucking Teddy in and spending her evening with Fitz afterwards.

"It is late indeed, and no, you are not going anywhere. You are going to stay here, with me, where you belong"

She wanted to fight him, she wanted to say that the public didn't know about his divorce being final, that the election was looming ahead, that it was really bad for the optics if someone saw her in the White House in the early morning. She had all these reasons and then a dozen more, but her main reason for being here, standing in front of her and watching her with guarded, loving eyes, outweighed all other voices whispering in her head that she has to go.

Olivia quickly finished undressing and climbed into bed, turning around to smile at Fitz who stared at her incredulously.

"I need a t-shirt to sleep in, Mr. President"

Fitz just shook his head, smiling, and went into the closet to retreat a navy shirt for her, knowing full well that she was not going to sleep in anything else. He looked at the other side of the closet, bare and thankfully devoid of all things Mellie, and realized he could not wait to see Olivia's suits and dresses filling up his living space.

"Here is your t-shirt, miss. Would you need anything else?"

"Yes!" You, right here" – Olivia patted the space next her and happily curled into his side once he settled into bed. She could not believe she was in Fitz arms, in the White House, and he was truly hers. Smiling happily, she mumbled, "I love you" before closing her eyes and drifting into the best sleep she had in years.

Hope you enjoyed it and please leave your reviews!

- V