Here it is: the last regular chapter of this story. I will be posting an epilogue within the next few days. A lot of people asked whether I would continue this story or write a sequel. Well, there will be a sequel. My summer has been and will continue to be very busy, so I am not sure when I will start posting, but it will definitely happen. Thank you all SO much for your support, it means the world to me. x

They had left early, giving themselves enough time to reach the train station and prepare for the inevitable goodbye. But now that Olivia was walking next to him, waiting for the train that would take her back to her regular life and away from him, twenty minutes didn't seem nearly enough. She didn't want to be the stereotypical girl that would cry in the arms of a man as he bid her goodbye, but now she could hardly contain her tears. Fitz had been quiet all morning, and even their lovemaking when the sun had begun to rise had been almost completely soundless.

He was pulling her suitcase with one hand and holding hers firmly with the other one. Olivia's ticket was already in her purse, so they walked straight to where her train would depart not long from now. When they arrived, they simply stood next to each other, both staring at another train that was currently pulling out. Fitz watched how Olivia's gaze followed the train until it was out of sight. A lone tear ran down her cheek, and he sighed sadly.

"Come here."

She was pulled into his arms, and she dropped her purse to the ground next to her feet so she could wrap her arms around his body. He seemed especially tall now that she was wearing comfortable, flat shoes to travel in, and his chin came to rest on top of her head immediately. Fitz inhaled deeply, taking her in one more time.

"Remember what I told you that night when you asked me whether anyone would ever want to look at you again?"

Olivia nodded her head against his broad chest, but waited for him to continue anyway.

"The next time you curl your hair, I want you to remember how much I like that look on you, and how much I love it when you twist it around your fingers. When you pull it up in class because you can't be bothered tucking it behind your ear all the time, I want you to think of me and how I can't stop myself from kissing your neck every time it's exposed. And when you get in bed after studying all night, I want you to call me so you don't feel lonely – so I don't feel lonely. Okay?"

"Okay.", she mumbled, unable to choke out more than that because her throat was tight with emotion.

"This is difficult and unfair and far from ideal, but it's nothing we can't deal with, Liv.", Fitz reassured her. "We've both dealt with worse – we've overcome so much – this is going to be just one more step we need to take before we can start our life together."

She loved the sound of that so much – the idea of starting a life with Fitz. In a way, they had done that already with committing themselves to each other, but Olivia knew it wouldn't be truly possible until they'd be able to share more than just a few blissful weeks together followed by a long distance relationship.

"I know you're right.", she sighed. "I know we'll be okay. It's just hard right now. I'm just… sad."

"I am, too, Liv.", Fitz admitted. "More than I want to admit to myself. And it's okay to be sad right now and to hate saying goodbye, but at the end of all of this, we will be together and we will be happy."

Olivia lifted her head from his chest and smiled at him.

"I love you."

"I love you, too. So much more than you'll ever know."

He kissed her then, the kind of kiss that made her heart burst and her knees go weak. Fitz' tongue found its way into her mouth and she didn't care that hundreds of people could be watching them right now. To her, he was the only person in the world that mattered in this moment. Then, a loud voice announced an incoming train through the speaker, and Olivia broke their kiss slowly.

"That's me.", she whispered, and he could already see new tears threatening to fall from her beautiful eyes.

"It is.". Fitz agreed regretfully.

Suddenly, the train was pulling in next to them, much faster than either one of them would have hoped. Olivia bent down and picked up her purse. The doors opened and dozens of people stepped off the train. She wished she could be one of those people right now, arriving in Fitz' arms instead of leaving them. Fitz grabbed her suitcase and rolled it closer to a door. When the last person had stepped of the train, he lifted Olivia's luggage and pushed into the designated area. Then he stepped off again, wrapping her into a tight embrace.

"Promise me that I will see you soon, Livy."

It was the first time she had seen him be so truly vulnerable about their relationship and about her leaving.

"I promise.", she whispered. "I promise you, Fitz."

He kissed her again, trying to convey just how much he loved her.

"Go.", he said. "Get on your train, Liv."

Olivia turned around and quickly stepped into the train, afraid that if she'd turn to look at him, she wouldn't be able to leave. She found a seat by the window and pressed her hands against the cold glass, hoping to catch another glimpse of him before the train would start moving. Fitz stood there, looking tall and handsome and so incredibly alone that it was nearly enough to make her get off the train and never look back. But Olivia knew that it wasn't an option, at least not right now. Before she knew it the train began to move. Her eyes found Fitz' and they stared at each other for as long as possible. Within seconds he was out of sight.

Olivia slumped back into her seat and wiped the tears from her wet cheeks. She missed him already and she couldn't imagine how she'd be able to go months without seeing him. Reaching into her purse she pulled out a book she had brought for the trip, knowing that she needed to distract herself or she would cry for hours. A small bookmark was sticking out of the middle of the novel, and Olivia opened the page. A picture fell out and into her lap. She smiled.

She didn't know when he'd done it, but Fitz had somehow snuck the photograph into her book. It was the only picture that existed of the two of them. Fitz had taken it with his cellphone a couple of weeks ago when they'd enjoyed a picnic courtesy of the gorgeous D.C. summer weather. It wasn't a great picture, because their faces were too close to the camera and it was slightly blurry, but to Olivia it couldn't have been more perfect. Her smile was wide and her eyes were shining with happiness, and she almost didn't recognize the look of utter joy on her face. She couldn't remember ever looking this content and truly happy. But what made the picture special to her was the look on Fitz' face. He was smiling beautifully – that slightly crooked smile that she adored so much. His eyes were fixed on her, and Olivia couldn't believe how much the look on his face revealed about his feelings for her. She cherished the love she could see in his eyes, even on a picture.

Olivia flipped the photograph and found his handwriting on the back. His words brought tears back to her finally dry eyes.

Soon we will start our forever together.

I love you.

Fitz

Tracing the words with her fingertip, she smiled wistfully. 'Soon' couldn't come fast enough.

Already miles away from the love of his life, Fitz had taken a detour on his way to his now empty apartment. As he walked down the path to Caitlin's grave, he wondered if he would one day be able to bring Olivia and a child of theirs to introduce to his firstborn who he had lost so tragically. Fitz placed a small bouquet of colorful flowers on his daughter's grave and smiled. His heart would never not ache when he'd come here, but he was able to deal with that now. For nearly thirty minutes, Fitz told his baby girl all about Olivia. He told her how beautiful and amazing she was, and how much he wished the two could have met. He told her how he hoped to bring her back here soon, because things were always a little less painful with Olivia by his side. And he told her how he hoped that she would have loved Olivia just as much as he did now, if she would have had the chance to get to know her.

Finally, Fitz returned home. Just like he had expected, the apartment was empty and quiet. He walked into the bedroom and debated crawling back into the unmade bed that might have still smelled of his Livy. But he was sweaty and moody, and he needed to clear his head so he opted for a long shower instead.

With the refreshing water falling down on him, Fitz thought back to just a few hours ago, when Olivia had stood in the shower with him. He'd washed her hair for her, and she had washed his back in return. There was always such intimacy in every interaction they shared, and he knew that he would miss that most while they'd be apart. Turning, he reached out to grab a bar of soap. Instead, his eyes fell on a tall, white bottle of shampoo. He smiled.

Olivia had left him her coconut shampoo. He knew that she hadn't left in accidentally, but that it was her way of honoring the promise she had made to leave him something of hers. Fitz took the bottle into his hand and opened it. The faint smell of coconut filled the small shower, and just like that his heart felt a little bit lighter. Olivia knew how much he loved to bury his nose in her hair, and he couldn't believe that out of all the things she could have left behind, this had been her choice. It was perfect. She was perfect. Fitz took another deep breath, before placing the shampoo back on the small shelf. He laughed quietly.

Soon they'd begin their forever together.

He was sure of that.