So this buzzed around in my brain for a long time. I've been working on it for a few days and I'm really happy with how it turned out.
Dothun, Alabama. 1932.
She looked at him with those big brown eyes, that little flirtatious smile on her face as she stood, holding the other bag full of his money, and said the craziest thing he'd heard in his life. "Take me with you."
"You don't even know where I'm going. Or if I'll make it there." He was sure he could hear police sirens in the distance. Small towns were always quiet enough to hear everything you needed to.
She shrugged and opened the door of his Cadillac, sidling inside and placing the sack of money under the backseat. He blinked at her, as if he couldn't believe she was serious, then got in too. He didn't have time to decipher her motives. He could definitely hear sirens. He gunned the ignition and they sped away from the small bank he'd just robbed, a bank where she'd been a hostage. Now she was apparently his accomplice. He looked at her as she held her dark red hat on her head. "So you wanna tell me what you're doing here?"
"I'm going with you." She smiled impishly.
"What's your name?"
"Olivia Pope. That was my father's bank you robbed." He hadn't been expecting that. He also hadn't really been paying attention to who was standing with whom when he held the place up, just that she looked like she'd be the easiest to control when he needed someone to help him carry the heavy sacks of money. Now he was absconding with the bank owner's daughter, or rather she was absconding with him. He wasn't sure which version of the story was crazier.
"I'm Fitzgerald Grant. Pleased to meet you." He tossed her a smile.
She smiled back as she picked up his .38 caliber pistol off the seat between them, holding it up to examine it. He wondered if she was crazy. "Charmed."
He took the gun away from her in case she was, put it under his left thigh out of her reach. "So why are you here?"
"I've been looking for a little excitement. What's more exciting than robbing banks?" She gathered her onyx curls away from her face then smoothed out the skirt of her dark red long-sleeved dress. A little gold bracelet twinkled on her tiny wrist, a gift from her father he guessed. She smiled brightly. "And can you imagine the gossip? Eli Pope's prim daughter running off with a criminal, and a white one at that! Leaving behind a fiancé who's likely to be the next mayor of Dothun! It's the kind of scandal I've been waiting my whole life to create!"
He had to laugh. She was a fire cracker if nothing else. She seemed pleased with herself for amusing him. She pointed at a street sign. "Turn here. My house is at the end of the road."
"For what? Baby, I don't know if you know, but you can't stick around after a bank robbery."
She shrugged. "I won't be long, just need some clothes if we're hitting the road. What do you wear to rob a bank anyway?"
He looked over at her. She could be useful. She was certainly innocent-looking enough to be an unexpected accomplice. And no one would ever put them together. He replied, "Get more stuff like what you're wearing."
He slowed to a stop in front of the last house on the street, a yellow colonial style house with a bird bath in the front yard. A wooden swing hung from a giant magnolia tree close to the white picket fence. She was apparently running away from a fairytale. She hopped out of the car and quickly walked up the cobblestone walkway. Who would have guessed such a house could raise a girl wanting to run around with a criminal? He thought of driving off and leaving her behind. Certainly it was the smart thing to do. She clearly wasn't all there in the head. But there was something about her, something he needed more of. So he sat and listened to the radio while he waited for her to pack her things, picking up the little white lace-bordered handkerchief she'd left on the seat and bringing it to his nose. It smelled like lavender and vanilla, a heady feminine combination that he assumed he'd get very used to.
Upstairs in her room, Olivia was throwing dresses into a suitcase and shoes into another. She gathered all her makeup and wrapped it in a handkerchief to rest with her clothes, and her perfume to go in with her shoes. She took her straightening comb from where it sat on her dresser and put it in with her shoes then looked around to see if she'd missed anything. She took the picture of her mother from her nightstand, tucking it into her black handbag, then remembered something she definitely couldn't leave without. She raced to her father's room and into his closet, picking up the left boot from a pair he suspiciously never wore and shook loose the bundle of money he stashed there, money he skimmed off the bank's profits that he thought no one knew about. But Olivia knew. She kept the bank's books after all. She tucked it into her purse then put the boot back where she'd found it. Fitz honked the horn and she quickened her pace down the hallway.
It was absolutely crazy, running off with a man she didn't know—a criminal for one thing and a white man for another—but she couldn't stop her feet from moving. If she didn't get out of Dothun, Alabama then, she'd never get out. She shut her suitcases and picked them up, tucking a Billie Holiday record under her arm, then hurried out of the house she'd known all her life. She stopped at the door and scribbled "Goodbye" on an envelope on the little table where her father put his keys then left her home. She looked down at the ring on her hand then slipped it off and put it on the envelope. No sense in keeping it. She came to a stop beside the Cadillac and looked at him as he ran a hand through his gorgeous curls.
"Aren't you going to help me with my bags?" she asked.
He smirked as he got out of the car and walked around to take her surprisingly heavy bags. "You usually wanna pack light when you're on the run, princess."
"A lady needs things." She smiled as she got into the car and shut the door. He hefted her bags into the trunk then got into the driver's seat and found her holding his gun again. He took it away, this time sticking it into the back of the waistband of his smoke gray suit pants. Olivia smirked. "That's an excellent way to shoot yourself in the ass."
"I'd rather shoot myself in the ass than have you shoot me in the head." He pulled away from the curb and they drove away from her house.
"If I shot you in the head, I'd lose my partner in crime. I'd be a couple thousand dollars richer and have a nice Cadillac too, but…" She smiled at him, wrinkling her nose cutely. "Why didn't I shoot you?"
He laughed, his head falling back. She wanted to get her hands on those curls, and the biceps resting under that straining white dress shirt. It was no wonder she was running away from home to be his girl when he was so dashingly handsome. He looked like the kind of man women wrote Harlequin romances about. "I'm going to assume it's because you find me charming. Where's a gas station around here?"
She looked at the street sign as they came to a stop at a red light. "Make a right. There's one at the next corner."
Fitz turned right, resting his right arm on the back of the seat. His fingers found themselves twining in the ends of her bobbed curls. He quickly let them go when he became conscious of his fingering them. He couldn't get caught up in her girlishness until he figured out her game. Surely she wasn't just running away. There was something more to it.
"I'm just running away." He almost wrecked his car, his head whipping to look at her. He hadn't been speaking aloud, had he? Or was she reading his thoughts?
"What?"
"You were touching my hair then you stopped, like you don't want to get close to me until you figure me out." He stopped his jaw from going slack. How did she know? "You don't have to figure me out. There's nothing to figure out. I'm just running away from a one horse town."
He smirked. "Surely there were easier ways of leaving."
"As you'll come to find out, I'm not into doing things the easy way."
"And just how do you like to do things, Ms. Pope?" He pulled into the empty gas station.
"With quite a bit of flare, Mr. Grant." She smiled just so as she got out of the car and strutted into the gas station. Fitz watched her hips swing rhythmically for a moment before stopping himself. He didn't want to trust her just yet.
"How much to fill her up?" The attendant, whom he hadn't actually noticed before, looked around him at the car.
"Five even." He pulled grease-caked hands out of the pockets of his filthy blue coveralls and wiped them on the front before taking the ten dollar bill Fitz offered.
"Keep the change." Fitz walked into the gas station and smirked at the sight of Olivia picking out candy. They were running from the law and she was curing her sweet tooth. Sure as there was a nose on his face, that girl was stone crazy. He grabbed a few maps and went to the counter.
"This, a pack of Marlboros, and whatever the lady wants." He pulled another ten dollar bill from his wallet, jerking his head in Olivia's direction, and handed it over to the graying black man behind the counter. The man looked at Olivia then back at him curiously but made no comment. Fitz smirked as he looked at Olivia, still trying to decide between chocolate and cherry sours. "Get them both Livvie. We've gotta hit the road."
Olivia looked up at him in surprise. It had been years since someone called her Livvie, the only other person being her mother who had fled Dothun with her white lover before Olivia started school. She could almost laugh at history's habit of repeating itself. She gave him a soft smile as she turned defiantly and headed to the coolers to get two Cokes. She returned with them a moment later and placed them on the counter along with the candy. Fitz opened the bag of cherry sours and popped one in his mouth. "Who said I was sharing with you?"
"I did. Wanna fight about it?" He grinned at her as he ate another, chewing slowly.
"Only if we get to make up right after." She picked up his pack of cigarettes and plucked one, placing it between her ruby lips and smiling at him as she waited for a light. Fitz smirked at her as he lit her cigarette.
"Something about you is terribly troubling to me but I don't know what yet."
She grinned as she exhaled a plume of sweet smoke. "You're dying to find out though, aren't you?"
She laughed when he didn't answer, instead picking up his Coke and the bag of cherry sours and walking out of the gas station. She looked at the smirking cashier with a smile. "We're not well."
"So I see." Olivia laughed as she collected her things and walked out of the gas station. Fitz leaned against the car, talking to the attendant about the car's engine, which he'd apparently rebuilt on his own. He smirked at her as she came to a stop in front of him, reaching out and taking her bag of cherry sours from him to pop one in her mouth. She opened the car door and got in, smiling at Fitz as he walked around to the driver's side.
"So where are we off to?" she asked as he started the car.
He unfolded the map and waited for the attendant to move away to assist a car that had just pulled up before he answered. He pointe0d at the town neighboring to the west. "My gun guy is in Judson right now so we'll go there first and then on to Shelton. Then we can head north. After that, I don't know."
"Will you teach me to shoot?" She smiled angelically at him.
He smirked. "Maybe after I'm sure you won't kill me in my sleep."
XXXXX
The hotel was small and hidden from the road by a row of pine trees. Olivia was surprised that they found it so easily despite the less then easy to follow directions given to them by a diner waitress who seemed more concerned with her cigarette break than helping anyone. Fitz carried Olivia's bags to the room first then had her chat up the hotel clerk while he carried the money and his weapon-laden duffel bag to their room.
"Well you used up all the hot water. So that was pleasant." Olivia looked up from the mirror where she was coiling her hair into pin curls and smiled prettily at him.
"I'm sorry. I just needed to wash that drive off. And don't even get me started on that God-awful diner." She watched him tousle his wet hair with the towel, hoping the one hanging dangerously low on his hips slipped off. Fitz walked to his duffel bag and pulled out boxers. Olivia watched, hoping he would take the towel off but to her disappointment, he just slipped his boxers under the towel then took it off.
"My dearest apologies Your Highness. I'll alert the town that their peasant accommodations are not to the queen's satisfaction." He grinned at her then pulled on a white t-shirt. He tried not to notice how luminous her skin looked in her whispery white nightgown.
"I would hope you're planning to wear more than that to bed," she teased.
"I could say the same to you." Fitz smirked at her. "I'm gonna take the floor tonight anyway."
"You don't have to do that. We can share a bed without sharing a bed." She coiled her last pin curl and secured it then turned a red silk scarf into a turban to shield her hair from the pillow's scratchy cotton case.
He looked at her dubiously. "I think I'd feel better if I did."
Olivia smirked at him. "Just get in bed please."
Fitz sighed and walked over to the bed. He climbed in, taking care to stay on his side of the bed. Olivia smirked as she turned off their bedside lamp, cloaking them in darkness. She rolled on her side to face him. "When we go to see your weapons guy, can I get a gun?"
"Do you promise you're not going to shoot me with it?" He smiled at her in the darkness.
She grinned back, reaching out to brush back an errant curl flopping onto his forehead. "Would you believe me if I did?"
"Probably not. But I'd feel better with a verbal agreement." She gave a soft girlish laugh.
Later that night, Fitz awoke to find himself spooning a sleeping Olivia. He glanced over at her, wondering how they'd come to be in such a position. She seemed to be in the same position he'd last seen her in before he drifted off to sleep, meaning he was the one who had grabbed onto her. He leaned over and breathed in the scent of lavender on the silk scarf on her head and the vanilla wafting off her soft skin before letting her go and slipping out of bed to use the bathroom and check the silent street outside for any sign of police waiting them out. Finding none, he crawled back into bed, taking care not to touch the sleeping woman next to him. His efforts proved futile when she rolled over into the curve of his body, her soft cheek on his shoulder. He looked down at her peaceful face and decided not to move her.
The next morning, he was unceremoniously awakened by blinding sunlight pouring through the open curtains. He rolled away from the offending morning light. "Shut those curtains."
Olivia smirked as she closed the blinds then walked over to the bed and sat next to him. She had been awake already for an hour, showering and ordering breakfast for them from the diner next to the hotel.
"Wake up. You've slept away half the morning already. We've gotta get moving if you want to get to Judson." He rolled onto his back but didn't open his eyes. Olivia smiled, reaching over to wiggle his nose with her index finger. His eyes still closed, Fitz gave an aggravated sigh and smacked her hand away. Olivia just laughed and resumed annoying him. Fitz grabbed her wrist and pulled her atop him, delivering a firm smack to her bottom. She gasped and looked down at him with wide eyes. "Well this is certainly an interesting change from the man who didn't want to share a bed with me last night."
His eyes snapped open and he removed his hand from where it lay on her slightly stinging left butt cheek. He wasn't even sure what possessed him to do such a thing to her. "Sorry. Force of habit."
Olivia wondered what sort of habits he kept but didn't inquire. Instead she just smiled at him. His hair was wild, curls sticking out in every direction. His longest curl, a lock that seemed to love his forehead, hung in its favorite spot. She smoothed it back, running her fingers through his whiskey-colored locks to bring some semblance of order to them. "You're cute in the morning."
"You're not. Not at all." He rolled her off him then got out of bed. Olivia rolled her eyes at his antics. He stopped to close the curtains completely, cloaking the room in semi-darkness, then went to the bathroom. There was a knock at the door and Olivia grabbed her robe from the nightstand before going to answer it. Fitz cut her off mid-way, clamping a hand over her mouth before she could say anything and pointing at the bathroom. She opened her mouth to object but he pressed his hand over her lips again and mouthed, "Just go."
She huffed and stalked into the bathroom, leaning against the doorframe and watching with a smirk as he walked to his side of the bed and pulled his gun from beneath the pillow. He crept to the door, pausing like he was listening for something, then put the chain lock on and held his gun up. He opened the door as wide as he could, his gun jutting out through the opening.
"What?" The bellhop on the other side nearly dropped the tray he was holding at the sight of the gun.
"S-somebody ordered breakfast for this room, sir," the young man squeaked. Olivia watched Fitz look down at the tray shaking in the boy's trembling hands then back at her. She kept her expression pleasant but smug.
"Now that you've scared that poor boy half to death, can I get my pancakes please?" She walked around him, shutting the door to take the chain off then opening it again. She smiled at the bellhop who still looked like he might faint or vomit at the slightest provocation. She smiled sweetly at him. "Sorry about him honey. He doesn't have any manners."
The boy gave a jerky nod, the redness never leaving his face, and Olivia took the tray from his hands. Fitz stared at her with an unreadable expression as she carried the tray to the little round table between the dresser and the bed. She went to her purse and plucked a twenty from her roll of money then took it to the bellhop, who accepted it with a shaking hand. "Thank you darlin'. You have a nice day, now."
The bellhop scurried away and Olivia shut the door then turned to smirk at Fitz as he poured coffee in a mug. "I take it you're really not a morning person."
Fitz returned the smirk. "You could have told me you ordered breakfast."
"I was about to when you slapped your hand over my mouth." She walked over to the table to get her own cup of coffee, stopping to smile at Fitz and push a curl back from his face. "You're kind of cute when you get all macho."
He pressed her back into the dresser with his hips, his hands on her sides. He squeezed her sides, sliding his hands down to her fleshy hips. He created a rhythm that made her insides feel like jelly as he looked down at her with a serious face. "You make me crazy."
Her fingernails raked over her bare chest, an impish grin playing on her lips. "Good."
"What did you get for breakfast?" At the moment, he could think of something he'd much rather have in his mouth than breakfast, but that was a thought he shouldn't have been having about a girl he shouldn't have been touching, so he'd settle for breakfast.
"Pancakes and bacon. I hope you like your eggs scrambled." He had yet to stop caressing her, and the friction between his hands and her flesh was giving her goose bumps.
"Scrambled sounds good." Taking her on that dresser sounded even better, but scrambled eggs would have to do. At least until he was a little surer about what was going on between them. He finally let her go, his hands lingering for just a moment on her hips, then went to the table.
Olivia smiled as she sat down opposite him. "So are you going to get me a gun today?"
"No." He grinned at her. "I'm not altogether convinced you're not crazy just yet."
"That's mean, especially since I got you breakfast." She took the silver top off his steaming plate. "I even had them make you a smiley face."
Fitz looked down at his plate and sure enough there was a smiley face made of two orange slices and a strip of bacon on his plate. He couldn't help laughing. She was certainly something. He finally relented, "I suppose you can have a gun. I guess it won't kill me…hopefully."
XXXXX
Fitz watched Olivia inspect the guns in the trunk of the old Ford sedan with interest. There were at least two dozen, all of them different. She picked up a shotgun and Fitz smirked at her.
"You need something that fits in your purse, Liv." He took the shotgun from her and put it back in the trunk.
Frank, an old friend from Fitz's hometown in Georgia, smiled at Olivia, offering her a decidedly delicate .22 caliber pistol. "Try that out, little lady. It's made for a woman's little hands."
She took the gun and frowned at its light weight. "What is this supposed to do? It's practically a pop gun. I want something big."
"How about this?" Frank sneered as he pulled a .45 from the trunk. He exchanged it for the .22 and Olivia smiled as she held it up.
"Now this I can work with." She looked at Fitz with a sweet smile. "I want this one."
"Now what are you gonna do with a gun that big?" Frank teased.
"Kill me probably." Fitz grinned at her as he walked closer to inspect the gun. Olivia smiled at him, wrinkling her nose. She looked almost comical, holding the giant pistol in one hand and her dainty little red handbag in the other. She wore a yellow chiffon boat neck sundress, patterned with red and purple tulips, and white pumps. A strand of pearls hung around her neck.
"I wouldn't dream of it." She handed him the gun and he examined it.
He looked down at her. "Do you really think you can learn to shoot this thing?"
"If you teach me." She took it back and held it out, surprisingly holding it steady despite its weight in her little hands.
A few hours later, after settling up with Frank and having a light lunch, Fitz drove Olivia out to an open field with only an old shed in a back corner. He parked near the shed and got out of the car. He walked around to Olivia's side and opened her door. She gave him a surprised smile.
"I never imagined you'd be so chivalrous." She stepped out of the car and shut the door then leaned against it. Her hair was pushed back from her young face. She looked much younger than her 23 years without her trademark thick black eyeliner. Fitz smirked at her then licked his thumb and rubbed off the penciled-in beauty mark on her right cheek. She smiled at him, her hands clasped behind her back. "Why haven't you kissed me yet?"
"Because you're stone crazy sure as I'm standing in front of you." He stepped closer to her and she leaned forward on her toes to plant a kiss on his lips. His hands caught her tiny waist and pulled her into him, knocking her off balance and sending her chest crashing into his. She gave a delighted laugh that Fitz cut off with his lips. How could he not kiss her when she was so delicate and light in his arms, and her laugh was singing in his ears like a Siren calling out to a sailor? He lifted her off her feet and pressed her back into the car. Olivia finally got the chance to run her fingers through his hair, enjoying its softness and the way he moaned against her mouth when her fingernails scraped his scalp. He licked her lips and she opened her mouth to allow him access to her tongue. Olivia sucked on her bottom lip, enjoying the taste of Coke and cigarettes on his mouth. He hesitated against her lips. "We can't do this."
"We can. Look at us, we're already doing it." He leaned down and tapped the tip of her nose with his then took a step back. He grinned at her.
"No." He left her leaning against the car and went to the trunk to retrieve her gun. Olivia smirked at him. He loaded it then brought it to her, smirking a little as he handed it over.
"Now you want to hold it steady like this." He was suddenly very close behind her, his chest almost touching her back as he aligned his arms with her outstretched ones and covered her hands with his own. "And pull back the hammer." She pulled the hammer back with her thumb. He placed his index finger over hers on the trigger. "You don't want to pull the trigger. Just squeeze it gently. It'll help with the kickback." He squeezed the trigger with her finger, his shoulder firmly behind hers to keep the kickback from hurting her. The bullet hit the door of the shed and left a rather large hole.
Olivia whistled. "I didn't think it would do that kind of damage."
"Just keep your arms steady. And keep your eye on your target. You can't wimp out. Especially not during a robbery. Don't let your hand shake even a little. You can't show any fear. You have to keep complete control. Steady hand, serious eyes, don't take any shit."
"Steady hand, serious eyes, don't take any shit," she repeated. She pulled the gun's hammer back again and squeezed the trigger the same way he'd done.
Fitz whooped when she nailed the first bullet's hole exactly. "Shit girl, you're practically Annie Oakley."
"Does that mean I actually get to keep my gun instead of you locking it in the trunk like I'm gonna kill you?" To emphasize her point, she fired off the rest of the bullets, creating a nice cluster of shots around the original hole. It seemed shooting came naturally to her.
"I'm actually more afraid of you now." He laughed as he took her gun to reload it. He returned the gun to her. "Tonight I'm gonna teach you to clean your gun. That's the best way to keep it from jamming. I had to break a manager's nose with the butt one heist when mine jammed on me. I got the job done, but it pissed me off something serious."
"Clean gun, steady hands, serious eyes, don't take any shit." She fired off another shot, this one aimed at an askew roof tile.
Fitz whistled when she hit it. "I've never seen anything like it. You're a natural."
Olivia smiled proudly. "So when do we rob a bank?"
He laughed. "You don't just rob a bank, baby. You've gotta case the place, learn when its emptiest, see what kind of security they have. It's a very detailed process."
"I'm no expert on how all banks run but I know a few things. They have their biggest cash amount of Fridays. People get paid and deposit their checks. Companies deposit their profits for the week. Banks try to keep a surplus so they can cash checks if they have to."
"How much money are we talking?"
"End of the day, probably $10,000 easy. More depending on whether or not there are any other banks in the area to compete with them. If we hit around 6 when they're closing down for the day, we can make off with all of it with very little trouble. There's usually only a manager and maybe one or two tellers there to make a final count."
Fitz frowned. "No one's going to let us into a bank when they're closing for the day."
"Well then we get there at 5:30, right when the late-comers are getting their moonshine money for the weekend."
He shook his head. "Can't do that. We gotta be in and out in under five minutes. That's about how long it'll take for someone to break from the pack and sound the alarm. Or for someone to come in at the wrong time and throw the whole thing off. My preferred time is 2 minutes. Get the customers in the corner, get a manager to fill the bags, get the hell out of dodge."
Olivia leaned against the Cadillac, putting the gun inside on the seat. "Maybe we can hit at opening, around 7. Usually it was only me and my father in at that time. We took a count, cleaned a bit, stocked the tellers' drawers. By 8, everyone was at work. Maybe 5 people. By 8:30, the customers were rolling in. I figure we hit at 7:15, we can get away with everything in the safe and be out of town before the police can make heads or tails of what happened."
"Sounds like a plan little lady." He grinned at her. "We've just gotta pick the right bank. Somewhere far from here though. My last heist is still in the papers."
"Then let's hit the road baby." Fitz walked around the car and stood before her. She grinned at him, looking down at his hands on her waist. "You wanna kiss me again, don't you? Don't be shy. I won't bite. At first, anyway."
"I'm sure you do much worse than bite." He ran his index down the curve of her jaw, stopping below her chin to lift her head. She gave him a serene smile. Her spine tingled with anticipation as he leaned down to touch his lips to hers. She'd imagined he'd be an aggressive kisser but he wasn't. Honestly he seemed new to kissing altogether, being shy and gentle with her mouth like he wasn't sure what to do. Deciding to take the lead, she licked his lips until he parted them, letting her tongue into his mouth. She cupped his face with one hand and used the other to pull him closer. She discovered a little prodding was all he needed. Suddenly his tongue was entangled with her own and his hand was on the back of her neck, tilting her head back so he could deepen their kiss.
XXXXX
*one week later*
Mojave, Georgia
Fitz slowed his Cadillac in front of the Peachtree bank. He looked over at Olivia and couldn't help but smile. She'd coifed her hair into a perfect bun at the base of her skull, left a daring swoop of bangs over her left eye. She'd tied a scarf around her face and donned large black sunglasses. Suddenly she was Bette Davis. He had teased her about playing dress up that morning as he watched her lay out all the clothes she'd packed to decide what was most appropriate for a bank robbery. She'd finally decided on a berry red dress with three-quarter length sleeves and a flared skirt. A large bow adorned the scoop neckline. She was even wearing high-heeled Mary Janes. Fitz just wore a dark suit, his gun tucked into the back of his waistband.
"Okay. So ideally we've got two minutes to get this done. Three tops. Just follow my lead." He smiled at her as she touched up her lipstick, shaking his head at her feminine preening. "Are you ready Your Highness?"
Olivia looked away from her compact, flashing him a smile. "I suppose."
He got out of the car and walked around the car to open her door, offering his hand to help her out. They could just as easily have been going out to lunch. She reached out and smoothed back the curl from his forehead. He smirked as he watched her stuff her compact and lipstick underneath the .45 in her large black handbag. She smoothed the skirt of her dress the looked at him expectantly.
"You don't have to go through with this. You know that, right? I'm not gonna force you." She smiled at the concern on his face, reaching out to pinch his clean-shaven cheek.
"Let's go rob a bank baby."
He gestured to the bank's glass double doors. "After you, ma'am."
They entered the quiet bank and Fitz was thankful to see that there was only one line of customers. He wanted everything to be on a small scale until Olivia got the hang of things. He looked around and was even more pleased that there was no security guard. He loved small towns. They were always ripe for the picking. Plus, there were no kids. He didn't like robbing banks with kids around. They were a wild card he couldn't afford. He glanced at Olivia. She was innocently digging around in her purse, her eyes darting to him every few seconds. He reached into his jacket, his fingers wrapping around the butt of his gun. Olivia inched closer to the front of the line. No one seemed to be paying her any attention. She reached the counter and looked back at him. He nodded at her. She stepped between the customers and the teller, pulling her gun from her purse.
"Everybody get to the corner!" Her voice echoed off the walls of the bank and an instant hush settled over the customers. She didn't even blink when the customers began to panic as they realized what was going on. "Stop talking! I'd hate to shoot any of you. Get to the corner and stay quiet and we can all go home safely."
The murmur ceased and they all moved to the front corner of the bank, mindful of Olivia and her giant pistol. Fitz was impressed to say the least. He moved to the front of the bank and levelled his gun with the teller's heart. He thrust his burlap sack to her. "Fill it up and don't do anything stupid."
The heavily made-up teller nodded at him, staring at him with wide eyes as she moved to the bank's safe. He glanced at the hostages in the corner. They were all watching Olivia with terrified eyes as she stared at them. He looked back at the teller. She was filling the bag with bundles of money as quickly as her shaking hands would allow. She returned with the full bag a moment later and he handed her another one, glancing at the clock on the bank's wall. He looked at Olivia. "60 seconds."
"Only one more minute people. None of you cause a problem and this will be over before you know it. Let's all get this done quickly." A few of the customers nodded, seeming to understand that they weren't in any danger so long as they cooperated. No one was prepared for the bank manager bursting from the back office and charging Olivia. They were even less prepared for the volume of the gun shot that put him down.
"Shit!" Fitz bellowed, looking at her with wild eyes.
She looked down at the teller then back at Fitz. "It's just a shoulder wound. He's fine."
The teller thrust Fitz's second full bag out to him. He took it then glanced at the clock. "That's time. Let's go. Now!"
Olivia looked at the teller behind the counter. "Come around here with the rest of them. Come on. We're not gonna hurt you."
She scurried around to the crowd, kneeling next to her bleeding boss, whose face was a crimson as he clutched his shoulder and repeated "Oh my God" to himself. She began to back away, only turning her back on the crowd when she and Fitz reached the door. He never looked back at them. He knew hostages were mostly harmless.
"How much did we get?" she asked as they hurried to the car.
"Couple thousand. More than I thought such a small place would have." He stuffed the bags under the seat then opened her car door, a little smile on his face as she sidled into her seat. He had to admit she'd impressed him. He was expecting her to panic. He hurried around the car, not stopping to put on his seatbelt before he stated the car and peeled away from the curb. He could hear police sirens in the distance. They seemed to be making good time.
Olivia smiled at him as they sped down the street. "So how'd I do?"
A reluctant smile tugged at his lips as he draped his arm over the back of the seat, his fingertips absently brushing the back of her neck. "Better than I thought you would. And the way you put that manager down? Shit, girl, you're a natural. Honestly, I'd have probably killed him just because he startled me. I'm loathe to admit it, but I'm impressed."
Olivia blushed deeply. She couldn't decide if she was proud of her performance, or proud that he was so proud of her. She gave him a beauty queen smile. "You haven't seen anything yet, darlin'. I'm just getting started."
XXXXX
*one week later*
Rome, Georgia
Fitz frowned deeply as he sat in the small chair. It clearly hadn't been designed for a man. But, then again, nothing about the store had been made for a man. The walls were painting a nauseating shade of pink, the wallpaper was a gaudy floral pattern. There was chintz and lace everywhere. The chair he was sitting on boasted a fringe of pink chintz wrapped around its small pink cushioned seat. He looked around at the lace and silk garments everywhere. He didn't belong there. He couldn't think of any place he belonged less than a lingerie boutique. But there he sat, facing the silk curtain of a dressing room behind which Olivia was taking more time than what seemed necessary to do anything to try on a pair of stockings.
"Seams or no seams?" He looked up from the newspaper on which their robbery was front page news, and smirked at Olivia as she stood before him, the pleated skirt of her sleeveless emerald shirtdress lifted up nearly to her hips as she turned her back to him to show him the black silk thigh highs she was wearing. The one on her left leg bore a black seam down the back, the one on her right one was bare. He wondered how he'd just noticed how shapely her legs were, perhaps because he was always so mesmerized by her breasts, perhaps because he shouldn't have been looking. They were certified business partners now. He shouldn't have been helping her pick out delicates. He definitely shouldn't have been ogling her body parts.
"Seams." His mouth was dry.
"You think?" She turned around to face him then looked back at her reflection in the mirror.
"The seams make your legs look miles long." Fitz looked away from the reflection of Olivia's shapely bottom in the mirror to the tall, dark-haired saleswoman who had been plying Olivia with silk and satin in every shade imaginable since Fitz produced a thick wad of hundred dollar bills to wave in her face.
"That's what I was thinking." How had he gotten roped into spending his ill-gotten gain on lingerie and high heels? It was those damned eyes of hers. And that quivering top lip any time he told her no. He just couldn't stand to see her look sad. So there he was, his lap full of frilly things she "needed," and lacy things that were "gorgeous," and sexy things that she just "adored."
"So seams it is? Are you ready? Can we go now Livvie?" He looked away from her as she sat down on a chair not unlike his own and slipped the panty hose off.
"I think I'll take both." She smiled at the sales woman as she tossed the thigh highs onto the pile on Fitz's lap.
"Great!" He stood, the lingerie in hand, and headed for the sales counter. Olivia skipped behind him. She gave him the sweetest smile as he watched the woman add up what he owed her.
"That'll be a hundred and eighteen dollars, please." Fitz smirked at Olivia as he counted out the money into the woman's hand.
"It's worth every penny. You'll see."
He smirked at her. "I'll take your word for it."
XXXXX
*one week later*
Paris, Tennessee
Olivia glanced at the clock. Fitz had been gone about 30 minutes. He was off to case a bank. It wouldn't take him more than that so she didn't have much time to work. She turned on the record player and filled the room with smooth, languid jazz then went to the bag of lingerie she'd bought a week before with some of the money from their last heist. She dumped its contents on the bed and looked down at the scads of lace and silk, trying to decide which would work best for the night she had in mind. She picked up a sheer red teddy then put it back. She wasn't in the mood for red. Or green. Or navy. She finally found a black bra, edged with white lace and decided it would work. She found the panties that matched and the black garter belt that she hadn't been sure about. She didn't think she was a garter belt kind of girl, but the saleswoman had insisted that the set was incomplete without it. Plus, she could pair it with the black silk thigh highs that had made Fitz's ears turn crimson when she asked him about them. She slipped off her clothes and covered herself in vanilla-scented lotion and lavender perfume until she smelled heavenly. She wished the owners of the small bungalow they were renting for the week had sprung for scented soap. Her bath hadn't left any scent on her.
She stood before the bathroom mirror and decided tonight she would be Greta Garbo. She painted on deadly red lipstick, the shade her father had always declared was only for whores, and drew thick lines of black kohl on her eyelids, winging the tips like a woman bent on destruction. She put on mascara and brushed her curls until they were perfect waves around her face. He didn't stand a chance. They had been dancing around each other for nearly a month, and she was done dancing. She guessed that Fitz was finished too. His hands had become a lot freer on her soft parts, always poking her sides to make her smile or tapping beats on her thigh when they drove. He especially seemed to enjoy draping his leg over the arch of her hip while they slept so that her backside was nestled snugly against him all night.
She pulled her thigh highs up and hooked them to her garter belt, thinking that such trifles were exactly why women took so long to get ready. She looked at the clock. Fitz had been gone nearly an hour. She hoped nothing had happened. She was just slipping on her black pumps when she heard his keys jingle. She leaned back on her elbows and stared at the door, waiting for him to appear. She smiled a moment later when he crossed the threshold into their bedroom and stopped in his tracks. He looked around at the candles making the room glow, and the champagne chilling in the carafe on the dresser, then his eyes landed on her.
"What are you up to little woman?" He smiled at her, his eyes roaming to her breasts nearly spilling out of the little black bra. She was right when she'd said her shopping spree would be worth every penny.
"Just waiting for you." She wasn't sure what it was about him that made her girlishly shy but venomously seductive all at once. It was then that she noticed the large white gift box in his hands. "Is that for me?"
He smirked as he brought it over to the bed. "Why would it be?"
She shrugged cutely. "Maybe you just wanted to get me something pretty."
He had. During their last heist she had stared longingly at a woman in a chocolate mink coat, so much so that he almost made the woman hand it over. So he'd decided to buy her one of her own. That's what had taken him so long when he left nearly an hour before. He placed the box in her lap, standing between her legs and looking down at her as she undid the red ribbon wrapped around it. She removed the top and her eyes grew to the size of saucers as she gasped his name. "Fitz!"
She lifted the blonde fur coat from the box and looked at it in wonder. Gold F's smiled at her from the black buttons. Fitz smiled at her. "I'm not sure what Fendi is but the girl at the store said it was a pretty big deal in Paris. It better be for the $500 I paid for it."
Olivia stared at the coat for a moment then looked up at him. "I can't believe you bought me this."
"Well," he shrugged his broad shoulders, "it's getting cold and I figured you'd need a coat. Do you like it?"
"I love it!" She smiled at him as he watched her. He was nervous. She'd never wanted to kiss him more. She stood and put on the coat, wrapping its warmth around her scantily clad body. The silk lining made her skin tingle. She smiled at him as he stepped back. He grinned when she twirled before him. "How do I look?"
He couldn't really answer. His mouth was completely dry and there was a stirring below his waist that made him reluctant to open his mouth lest he say something foolish. He just stared at her, his ears reddening. Olivia smiled as she slipped off the coat, draping it over a nearby chair. She resumed her seat on the bed, crossing her legs and giving him a shy smile, her bottom lip pulled coyly between her teeth. "I hope you're not planning to stay all the way over there."
He crossed the room to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, caressing her soft flesh. Olivia's hands moved to his belt and she managed to deftly undo his pants with surprising speed. Fitz quickly removed his shirt and kicked off his pants. Olivia looked him over. She'd never imagined a man could be so beautifully made. Her ex-fiancé didn't hold a candle to Fitz. She slipped off her pumps then went to work on unhooking her garters.
"Let me." His large hands stilled her smaller ones then went to work undoing her garters. He lowered his body onto hers, his face close enough for her to smell the sweet mint gum on his breath. She reached for the curl that seemed permanently attached to his forehead, and smoothed it back, running her fingers through the soft curls that made him seem boyish when they fanned out recklessly upon his waking in the morning. She caressed his soft cheek. He seemed so young when he didn't shave. She loved him rugged and stubble-cheeked, but clean-shaven with wild slept-on hair, he broke something inside her. She could see all that he used to be: a blue-eyed boy on a horse made of a stick, playing cops and robbers in the summer sun, rosy-cheeked and tanned from running wild. She didn't realize she was staring at him wistfully until he spoke. "What? Do you not want to do this anymore?"
"What?" She blinked and remembered where they were. His hands were warm on her thighs, his face etched with concern. She smiled at him. "Of course I want this. I was just thinking about something. Don't shave anymore. I like you scruffy."
"That's what you're thinking about right now?" He grinned. "You're bat shit crazy. It's no wonder I want you so bad."
She laughed softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Then take me."
He smiled against her mouth, his hands working to push her garter belt up to get to her panties. He peeled them away from her damp center, working his hand between the fabric and her flesh. They both moaned at the contact of his fingers. Her garter slipped down in the way and Fitz broke their kiss to look down at it. "How the hell do you get this thing off?"
She pushed his chest and he moved back. She rolled onto her hands and knees, showing his the belt's laces. He smiled at the picture she created before him, her back arched pushing her bottom out invitingly. He straddled her on his knees and undid the garter's laces, smiling when it fell off her body. He kneaded the lush globes of her magnificent backside. How had he not noticed what a nice ass she had? His fingers skittered over the slick folds of her center. "Can I take you this way? Will you let me?"
If he was going to talk in such a sexy hoarse voice and rub her bundle of nerves that way, he could take her any way he liked. Olivia couldn't remember the last time she'd been so excited by a man. She turned to look at him over her shoulder. He stared at her with intense gray eyes, his breathing ragged as his erection pressed against her. She nodded, rising up on her knees so he could remove her bra. Fitz slipped the lacy garment off, thinking it was hardly underwear at all, and cupped her breasts in his hands, looking down at them. They never ceased to mesmerize him when she was clothed, and now that they were bare in his hands, plump and soft with chocolate kiss nipples that made his mouth water, he was even more entranced. Olivia looked back at him and smiled at the transfixed look on his face. She'd always wanted larger breasts, but since hers fit so perfectly in his hands, there was no need. She placed her hands over his and he looked at her face. Had she always been that beautiful, or were her bedroom eyes playing tricks on him? Surely she couldn't have been so gorgeous sleeping next to him for nearly two months and he hadn't made love to her before then. "Have you always been this beautiful?"
She smiled, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. "I guess so. Are you just now noticing?"
"I am a stupid, stupid man." He captured her lips, sucking her tongue into his mouth. Still cupping her breasts, he leaned her forward on the bed then peppered kisses down her spine. He pulled her panties off and tossed them aside. He smiled at her dripping center, scooting closer so he could press the almost painfully pink tip of his erection to her pulsing entrance. He groaned, almost exploding on impact as he slid inside her. Olivia's arms shook as she tried to hold up her weight and cope with the soul-shattering sensation. Fitz's hips rocked at a slow pace, easing inside her and stretching her gently. Tonight was a night for patience. He didn't want her gone in the morning. He could take his time to enjoy her. Olivia let out a soft, breathless "ah!" when he was fully inside her. Fitz smiled as he reached for her hair. He liked that noise. He wanted more of that noise. Focusing on a spot that made her knees tremble, he found a slow, driving rhythm that made her back arch in an angle that didn't seem possible. He groaned each time she let out a soft "ah!".
"Faster…please!" She couldn't take the slow pace and his hands so gentle on her hips. He was planting seeds in her heart that would bloom into the kind of love that would never let her leave again. He smiled and stilled his hips. Olivia turned to look at him just in time to see his eyes darken like storm clouds. He began pulling her back against him at a pace she hadn't been expecting. Her breasts bounced wildly until he took hold of them and rolled her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. She was thankful when he finally let them go but wished he hadn't when he began giving her bundle of nerves the same treatment. She wasn't going to last long. Already electricity was shooting through her veins. She knew her orgasm would be nothing short of an explosion. Her body tensed in anticipation just as Fitz slowed to his original pace, driving his hips into hers so slowly that she could feel his veins pulsing inside her. He lowered his body onto hers, pressing her down into the mattress and peppering the back of her neck with gentle kisses.
"Oh…too much…" Fitz wasn't sure what she was saying until he gently tugged her head up by her hair. "Too much…"
"What's too much baby?" He didn't stop his hips from thrusting into hers.
"Too deep…I can't…I'm gonna—" She gasped then let out a keening cry that made the hairs on the back of Fitz's neck stand up. He'd never heard such a sexy sound. She shook violently beneath him, babbling his name like she needed saving, then froze in a beautiful silent scream. Fitz smiled as he watched her come undone, slipping his hand between her legs. Olivia withered as his fingers found her bundle of nerves. She saw stars when he pressed it firmly, making slow deliberate circles. "Ungh…Fitz…it's happening again! You have to stop! I can't ta—"
But it was already happening. She was falling over the cliff all over again despite not having fully recovered from her first orgasm. Her arms shook, threatening to give out, as she gripped the sheets like they were the only thing rooting her to the earth. Her legs gave out and she collapsed on her stomach, bringing Fitz down with her. He trapped her beneath him, his hands moving to cover hers. His lips found her neck, peppering gentle kisses up and down the back. She could barely make out what he was murmuring against her neck. "God you feel so good Livvie."
Olivia sat up on her knees, reaching back to fist her hand in his hair and pull his head down so she could kiss him. Fitz's hands went to her breasts, cupping them and squeezing wantonly. He could feel the fire blazing in his belly. Soon she would feel it too. His deep groans reverberated in her ears and sent chills down her spine. He rested his weight on her, pushing her back onto her stomach and trapping her beneath him. His fingers twined in her hair as he thrust harder and harder into her, making the old rickety bed shake. Olivia's sobbing moans echoed off the walls. She hoped no one was around to hear or they might have thought he was beating her. The fire was spreading. Fitz could feel it. Everything was threatening to go white. He picked up his pace, turning her sobs into little hiccupped gasps as she gripped the sheets. The bed groaned like it wouldn't take more of his punishment. Olivia looked back at Fitz and found herself transfixed by the sight of him coming undone as his seed flowed inside her. He let out another spine-tingling groan before collapsing atop her. She felt deliciously crushed, his lips worshipping her sweat-slick skin. He was still moving inside her, purely for emotional satisfaction, as they both tried to normalize their breathing. Fitz pulled her hair away from her face and kissed her chin, her cheek, her nose, her temple, everywhere his lips could reach. His fingers lay intertwined with hers, his legs still between hers. He couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be, anywhere that made him feel like lying on top of her did.
"That's not normal is it?"
"Hmm?" She reached back to play with the lock of hair hanging on his forehead. His hair was wild, whiskey-colored curls sticking out wildly.
"That—what just happened between us. That's not normal, is it? For it to feel like that?" He was still moving inside her. He didn't seem able to stop.
She looked at him with wide eyes. "I don't know. I don't think so. Why do you ask?"
"I just… I've never felt like that before." She pressed her face into his neck, kissing him with an aching tenderness that made him want to leap off the bed if only to make sure his heart stayed in his possession. He kept a close watch on it in general, but being around her made him feel like he needed to keep it under lock and key. She nuzzled his smooth skin, moving up the spot below his earlobe. He rolled onto his side, pulling her along with him. Olivia wrapped her leg around him and he pulled her even closer. It was his turn to nuzzle her impossibly soft skin. He whispered, "I've never felt anything like it. I feel like God himself inside you. It's crazy."
"You're crazy." She smirked. He smiled against her flesh, nipping her earlobe. She whimpered and he kissed the same spot, soothing the sting.
"You're the crazy one." They lay that way for a long time, talking softly until sleep overtook them.
XXXXX
*one month later*
Greenburrough, Arkansas
"Are you sure about this, Livvie?" Olivia smirked at Fitz's dubious expression. She wanted to take the lead in their heist. They had hit a few banks over past few months, each heist successful with minimal blood spillage, and now Olivia wanted her turn at the reins. They lay on the floor of their hotel room, warmed by a waning fire that Fitz had started in the room's ancient fireplace, both of them naked except for the bedspread and Olivia's black pumps.
She smiled at him, reaching out to pinch his cheek. "I'm sure about taking the lead. I think I'll be good at it. Maybe better than you."
Fitz laughed, touching the tip of his nose to the tip of hers. "Okay. Since you're so sure of yourself, tomorrow you can take the lead."
"Are you gonna do what I say?" She was tracing patterns on his leg, her foot wandering higher and higher as she went on.
"Suppose I have to." He smirked at her gleeful smile.
"Anything I say?"
"Depends on what you're saying."
"I've been told I can be quite bossy."
"Are you gonna make me behave myself?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. She gave a vixen grin.
"Oh baby wouldn't you like to know." Fitz smiled as she climbed atop him. She began kissing the bite marks she'd left on him.
XXXXX
*the next day*
"I'd be careful," Fitz admonished, watching as the bank's manager sized up Olivia as she stood before him, her bag thrust out to receive the bundles of money the bespectacled man was tossing into it. He could understand the manager's confusion and intrigue. Today, Olivia was Barbara Stanwyck, hair coiffed in perfect pin curls and doe-eyed with just a touch of pink lipstick. A little faux-beauty mark adorned her left cheek. The pleats of her green sleeveless shirtdress were pristine, the patent leather of her nude Mary Jane pumps shiny. "She looks harmless, but she's a hell of a shot. Better than me, I'd venture."
Olivia took her eyes away from the manager, not her steady gun-wielding hand though, and smiled softly at Fitz. He looked like the gangster the world thought he was, dark suit, hat pulled low, that curl dangling dangerously on his forehead. He'd only taught her to shoot a month before. She was quite the quick study.
He smiled back, taking a moment to brush away the errant bourbon-colored tendril flopping onto his forehead as he held his own sack out to a white-faced woman who was filling it quite quickly, her eyes never leaving the .38 pointed at her heart. He wouldn't have actually shot her unless she gave him reason to. Olivia was the gun-slinger in their duo. She'd fire off a round if a teller's eye twitched. She hadn't killed anyone yet but he had no reason to believe she wouldn't if the moment called for it. She looked at the loudly ticking grandfather clock on the bank's back wall, gesturing to it with the enormous .45 in her little hand. "Ninety seconds."
"Alright folks, that gives us another 30 seconds to go. Everybody stay put and you can all go home safely. Don't get any ideas. None of you look like heroes to me." He looked over to the corner where the bank's customers were clustered in a heap of terrified faces. They were mostly women, housewives getting grocery money out of their husbands' accounts, and he didn't want to have to shoot any of them. He looked at the clock then at the teller then at Olivia. "That's time baby."
She smiled bright at the teller, batting her long eyelashes. "Alright, darlin'. Get to the corner with the rest of 'em. Go on now. I won't shoot you." She didn't aim the gun away from his heart though. She looked at the female teller still staring at Fitz. "You too. Go on."
They moved quickly to the corner and she and Fitz kept their guns poised on the group as they backed out of the bank. He smiled handsomely, slicking back his hair with his gun hand. "You all have a nice afternoon."
They hopped into his black Cadillac, stuffing the heavy bags of money under the backseat. Olivia looked at Fitz as he started the car and pulled away from the bank just the alarm began blaring. "How'd I do taking the lead?"
He winked at her. "Amazing. I'm proud of you Livvie."
He reached over and pinched her cheek. She blushed and smiled at him. He was the only person she was soft with. "You know, I killed the last man who pinched my cheek."
"You know I believe you." They laughed as they sped down the road.
XXXXX
*the next day*
They sat in a diner in a small Arkansas town whose name Olivia couldn't remember, staring at sticky menus under fluorescent lights. Fitz smirked at the front page of the newspaper belonging to the man who sat in the booth behind them. They were front page news once again. Olivia turned to see what he was looking at and smiled at the paper.
"Sir, can we see that paper when you're finished?" The man lowered the paper, revealing his ruddy face, and Olivia gave him a beauty queen smile. He returned the gesture, revealing tobacco-stained teeth.
"Here you go." He handed her the paper after neatly folding it and she warmly thanked him then turned back to Fitz, holding up the paper.
"'Bank owners are facing an unexpected threat from two criminals, described as a tall white man and a short colored woman, who have been terrorizing banks all over the southeast over the past month. Most recently, the two shook down a small bank in Greensborough where they held 20 people hostage and absconded with ten thousand dollars. They were armed and menacing, according to the bank's shaken manager. He went on to say, 'The most terrifying thing was that the woman smiled the whole time. She even called me sweetheart. She seemed delighted to be robbing people.' The two are still at large, considered armed and dangerous, and the public is terrified to frequent banks for fear of meeting up with the two criminals.'" Olivia smiled as she read the article aloud to Fitz, who sat puffing on a cigar, the black fedora Olivia had bought him in Tennessee pulled down on his head. He looked adorably menacing, that curl flopping on his forehead, his cheeks stubbly. She reached over and took the hat off his head, placing it on her own. She liked it much better on herself. She took his cigar as well, bringing it to her ruby lips and puffing on it the way he did.
Fitz cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you making fun of me, little woman?"
"Maybe." Her foot wandered under his pants leg as she stared at him innocently. "What if I am?"
"You know I killed the last woman who made fun of me." He reached over and took his cigar back.
"You know I believe you." Olivia picked up the paper again and smirked at it before putting it back down.
XXXXX
*one month later*
Jupiter, Oklahoma
Olivia rolled over, waking with a yawn. She frowned at the feeling of Fitz's side of the bed being empty. She blinked at the blinding sunshine pouring through the hotel's window and sat up to look around the small room. Fitz was nowhere to be seen. She wondered where he had gone. They had already cased the bank they would rob in a few days. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom, a sleepy frown on her face. It wasn't until she was washing her hands that the diamond glinting on her left ring finger caught her eye. Her jaw grew slack as she looked down at the large round diamond, flanked on both sides by smaller round emeralds, her birthstone. Surely he hadn't… But there it was on her finger. Clearly he had. She left the bathroom in a haze, wondering where he could be. He'd certainly picked a hell of a moment to leave her alone. She sat on the bed and stared at the ring then took it off her finger to examine. She squinted to read the engraving, "Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours." She slipped the ring back onto her finger and stood to pace. Where had he gone? He certainly hadn't given her the ring just to take off on her. Plus, he'd left behind the money. Any damn fool who was running away would have taken that.
She looked up with wide eyes at the door opening. Fitz stood before her, grinning as he struggled to hold onto a tray laden with what she guessed was breakfast. "You wanna come grab this coffee pot?"
She walked over on shaky legs and took the coffee pot then turned and headed back to the table to set it down. Fitz followed closely and set the tray down with a sigh. "Now I see why you always have food delivered."
She understood why he hadn't had room service brought up to the room as she looked around. Money sat on the dresser in piles. Their guns lay in the overstuffed pink armchair in the corner. She looked at him, raising her hand. "What's this?"
"A very nice piece of jewelry." He smiled. She didn't return the gesture. His face turned serious. "Livvie, you know how I feel about you."
"But we can't get married." Her eyes grew glassy.
"We can. We'll find a way. I'll find a way." He moved to take her in his arms but she moved away. "Don't cry baby."
"We can't…" Suddenly she was weeping. She felt like such a child. She wiped at her tears, turning away from him. "What if… What we're doing now is so dangerous. We can't just… What if…"
She couldn't make herself voice any of the possibilities.
"Silly woman, come here let me hold you." She turned to him and he moved to hold her. He wiped her tears. "Crazy girl, don't you know that I love you? I'm not going anywhere. I wouldn't dream of it. Nothing but death could take me from you. And I don't know about you, but I don't plan on dying any time soon."
"But—" There were so many things he hadn't considered, so much he wasn't thinking about.
"Livvie you're the only family I've got. There's nothing in this world for me but you. Can't you dream for me?" She looked up at him sniffed. Love jumped double-dutch in her heart. She wiped her eyes looked up at him, giving a nod. She could dream for him. She'd take the sun and give it to him. Fitz smiled as he leaned down to rest his forehead on hers.
She kissed his stubbly chin. "You have to ask so I can say yes."
"Will you marry me, Olivia Carolyn Pope?"
She wore a silly smile as she shook her head. "You have to get on one knee. If we're gonna do it, we have to do it right."
Fitz gave a playfully exasperated sigh as he knelt on his left knee. He took her little hand in his and slipped the ring off. He smiled as he looked up at her. "Olivia Carolyn Pope, will you marry me?"
"Suppose I have to since you're down there begging." Fitz laughed as he put the ring on her left ring finger then stood to lift her off her feet. He smiled when she laughed, leaning over to kiss her chin.
"I love you, little woman." Olivia kissed him sweetly, cupping his face in her hands.
"How much?" She nuzzled his cheek.
He smiled. "To the moon and back, and sometimes that isn't far enough."
She laughed softly. "I love you too. Suppose I have to since we're getting married."
"You're gonna need a dress. But I'm not helping you pick it out. You're never taking me shopping again."
Olivia pouted cutely. "Fine. Just know I'm going to get revenge on you when you're old."
"You'll be old too." He set her on her feet and pulled out her chair.
"Not as old you as you." Olivia smiled as she sat down. Fitz pushed her chair in. "Such a gentleman. You older fellows usually are, though."
Fitz pinched her cheek then went to sit opposite her. "So when do you wanna do it?"
"As soon as I find a dress and you find someone to perform the ceremony, which isn't gonna be easy since it's illegal." A little glimmer of a frown crossed her face and Fitz reached for her hand. He pressed a kiss to her fingertips.
"Don't make that face. I'll find someone to do it. I'd do anything for you, Livvie." He pressed another kiss to her fingertips.
"What if you can't?" Her top lip quivered and Fitz's heart ached. He didn't want her to cry. He hated seeing her cry.
He took her other hand and kissed the backs of both. "Then you'll wear the ring forever anyway. You'll still be my Mrs. Grant. No one in the world can tell me you aren't mine forever."
Olivia stood and walked around the table to sit on his lap. She lay her head on his chest. Fitz wrapped his arms around her, cradling her against him. He kissed the crown of her head. She gave a little laugh. "I want bundles and bundles of babies."
He remembered their breakfast. "Do you want pancakes or waffles?"
"Pancakes." She looked at the plates. "I hope you got scrambled eggs for me."
"Maybe." He kissed her cheek. "What if I didn't?"
"You don't wanna know." She gave him a devilish grin.
"Are you gonna punish me Mrs. Grant?" His voice was already husky with lust.
"Why don't you get to the bed so you can find out?" She climbed off his lap and he stood to go to the bed. Olivia delivered a smack to his bottom and he turned to grin at her.
"How come when I do that, I always get dirty looks?"
"Because you do it in public." Fitz laughed as he lay on his back on the bed. Olivia straddled him, giving him a smile as she raked her fingers through his hair.
XXXXX
*one week later*
Fitz sat on the bed, wearing his best suit. He adjusted the red rose pinned to his lapel then ran his hand through his gelled hair. He sighed anxiously. "Livvie, what are you doing in there? I only paid the Justice of the Peace for an hour."
"I'm almost ready. It's my wedding day. You'll forgive me if I'm taking a little extra care with my appearance." He smiled at her sass.
"You've been in there all morning, Livvie. If you're not beautiful by now, you should probably hang it up baby."
Just as he'd expected it to, the door flung open and Olivia glared at him, her hands on her hips. "What did you say to me?"
He gave her a goofy grin. "You look gorgeous, Livvie."
She wore a satin boat neck ivory dress with a full skirt with a silk navy sash around the waist. The sash matched her shoes, satin pumps with bows on the pointed toes. A lace floor-length veil hung from the crown of her head. She had never been more beautiful. She blushed, twirling for him to see the whole dress. "No one would ever guess I'm armed and menacing in this get up."
"You could hide a gun under that skirt."
"Don't I know it?" She lifted the hem of her dress, revealing a white garter-holster that held a silver .22 pistol. She grinned like a beauty queen when he laughed. "What's funny?"
He turned and pulled up his jacket, revealing his own pistol stuck in the waistband of his pants. "We're really two of a kind baby."
Olivia grinned at him as she went to get her tiny blue purse from the dresser. "Are you ready?"
"To be with you forever? You bet." He smiled, placing his hand in the small of her back as they left their small Oklahoma motel.
They hastily made their way to the home of the Justice of the Peace, who with proper financial prodding, had agreed to marry them. The little old man, stooped over and staring up the them from large, round glasses, performed the ceremony as quickly as he could for fear that someone would arrive and find them in the middle of something so illegal they'd probably hang him for it. Olivia didn't care that they'd only said their "I do's" before the man rushed them away. The grandest wedding in the world couldn't compare to being with Fitz. She'd rather starve with him than live in luxury with anyone else.
"So where should we honeymoon Mrs. Grant?" Fitz asked as they cruised down the highway in his Cadillac, a hastily made "Just Married" sign stuck in the back window.
"I think the beach would be nice." She reached over and took his hand, interlacing their fingers.
XXXXX
*two days later*
Miami, Florida
They never made it onto the beach. They awoke with plans to frolic in the sun but found marital duties to be much to pressing to leave the bed. Olivia was amazed they could both still walk after such fervent love making. Fitz couldn't believe no one had called the police. Olivia had sounded like he was killing her the last time they made love. She lay, sweaty and panting in his arms, smiling up at the ceiling dreamily.
"What are you thinking about?"
She looked at him. "I was just trying to imagine what we're gonna do after this."
"After what?"
She rolled onto her stomach to look at him. "After we're done robbing banks. I mean, realistically, we can't do it forever. But I don't know what else we can do."
"What do you want to do Livvie?" He smoothed her curls back from her face.
"Have a family. My mom left when I was 5. I've never had a family before." Fitz cradled her to him, kissed the crown of her head. He had seen so many sides of her, but this one, the little girl with no mother, snatched at his heartstrings.
He knew his next words would break her heart. "We can't do that. I've never had a family either. We can't just up and go straight and have a family. That's not how life works, baby."
She lifted her head to look at him. "Fitz you're the only family I've got. There's nothing in this world for me but you. Can't you dream for me?"
He smiled at her. "I can do anything for you."
"Even have babies?"
"Even have babies."
She smiled, tracing his lips with her fingertip. "So I think we should do one last job. One last big one. Then we'll go straight."
"I think we can do that."
XXXXX
*one month later*
Heaven, Georgia
Olivia and Fitz stood outside the large brick bank in a still silence that echoed the finality of their mission. This was it. Their last time. Fitz was confident. This was the last day of his life as a man on the outside of the law. Olivia was uneasy. Something was nagging at her but she didn't know what. She guessed it was just jitters. This was their last run. She didn't know what tomorrow held.
"Ready?" Fitz looked at his wife's unsure face. She was chewing her top lip, something she only did when something was bothering her. "Livvie?"
"I've just got butterflies. I'm fine. Let's go." She took a deep breath and headed for the bank, Fitz closely behind her. It was pretty early. Only two lines were open, and they were thankfully sparsely populated. Olivia followed her usual routine, skirted the crowd to get in front of them. It always bothered her that no one paid her any attention even though what she was doing was odd. She looked for Fitz. He was doing the same, getting to the front of the line. No one seemed to be paying him any attention either. People chatted or read the paper. No one seemed aware of anything. Fitz gave Olivia a reassuring smile, hoping she had quelled her nerves. Neither of them noticed the security guard who had noticed them and slipped quietly out of the bank.
"Hands up!" Fitz shouted and immediately hushed the crowd. People turned to him with terrified eyes, their hands springing over their heads.
"Everyone to the corner! Hurry up!" They turned to Olivia and quickly did as she said, all their eyes trained on the gun in her hand. Fitz looked at the clock. Thirty seconds gone. He looked back at the entrance and his stomach dropped. He looked at Olivia.
"Where the hell's the guard?" She took looked at the entrance then out at the street. The portly guard was nowhere to be found.
"I don't know. Shit!" She looked back at the crowd of hostages. "Just get the money and let's go."
"Fill these bags! Fast! As fast as you can or I'll blow your head off!" Fitz shoved the bags out to the teller behind the counter and she took them, darting to the safe to do as he said. He had never threatened a teller. They were way off script. Everything was going to hell. The other teller, an older woman, seemed frozen in space. He glared at her. "You, get over there with the others. Hurry up!"
She hurried around the counter and joined the cluster of panicking people under Olivia's snarling gaze. Her stomach was roiling worse than ever. Today was going to go terribly. She'd known it the moment she got out of bed. For one, she was late. She was never late. Her visitor showed up like clockwork. But she'd awoken and there it wasn't. And for two, she and Fitz had fallen asleep on opposite sides of the bed. She didn't know why, but it was a bad sign nonetheless. Now they were a minute over time and the security guard was missing.
She heard the sirens before she realized she'd heard them. She looked at Fitz. "We've gotta go! Leave the money! Let's go!"
He snatched one bag from the teller and they headed for the door. But it was too late. Four police cars stared back at them, each containing two officers pointing guns at them. Fitz dropped the bag and his gun and raised his hands above his head. Olivia just stood frozen, her gun dangling from her hand.
"Drop your weapon! It's over!" She didn't even realize they were talking to her. Everything was flashing before her eyes. Her mother's face, the pearls her father had given her for her birthday (the very ones around her neck) to apologize for her mother's abandonment, the little gold ring on her finger that held the promise of forever, Fitz's face in the morning. She never moved, just stared ahead. Fitz heard the gunshot. He jumped immediately, knocking Olivia aside. The bullet hit the right side of his chest. He'd always imagined getting shot would burn, but mostly he couldn't breathe as he hit the marble floor. Someone screamed.
"Fitz!" He could hear Olivia calling him but he couldn't answer. His body wasn't his anymore. He tried desperately to keep her from fading from view, but he couldn't make his eyes work. Her tears splashed his face but he couldn't feel them. All he could feel was cold as his pulse threaded to a snail's pace. Why was it so cold? Wasn't that light supposed to warm him? He guessed not because he got colder and colder until he wasn't cold anymore. He wasn't anything.
"Fitz! Fitz! Come back! Come back! Please! Please baby! You can't go without me!" Olivia shook him but he didn't answer. He was gone. They'd taken him from her. She kissed him goodbye and closed his eyes, her tears falling onto his pale face. She smoothed the curl back from his face the way she always did then stood and looked at the policemen. They all looked like they were almost sorry for what they'd done. She guessed their day had gone much like hers: from uncertainly bad to unimaginably terrible in an instant.
"Put your weapon down!" A redheaded policeman almost begged through the shards of the bank's former door. "Put it down lady. Your partner's dead. It's over. There's no way out of this."
Olivia wasn't conscious of aiming her gun at the line of officer's until it was up. All she could think was that Fitz, the only family she had, was gone. And she was left behind. Again. She heard one of the officer's yell, "Don't!" She didn't know which. Her eyes were already closed. The gun shot hit her just below her heart. She gasped. She'd always imagined a gunshot would hurt much worse than it actually did. But she didn't feel anything except warm blood soaking her gray dress, her favorite dress, and her lungs giving out all the air she had. She fell next to Fitz, her head on his chest, just the way they slept every night. The realization that she was dying hit her almost like an afterthought as her vision clouded and breathing became impossible. She looked up at his face, his eyes closed and his lips relaxed. He could very well have been sleeping, except that his chest wasn't rising and falling, and blood had soaked his white shirt completely.
She closed her eyes and struggled for her last breaths. "Here I come, baby. Even death can't keep me from you."
XXXXX
"Epilogue*
"Late Thursday morning, the two bank robbers who had been terrorizing the southeast for the past months, were gunned down in a stand-off with police. They were later identified as Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III of Georgia, and Olivia Carolyn Pope-Grant of Alabama. The couple had pulled off more than a dozen robberies of small town banks, stealing a total of over $100,000 during their crime spree. Contents of their hotel room reveal that most of the money had been kept in canvas sacks but quite a bit had been spent of trinkets for Olivia, including a fur coat, several strings of pearls (she died wearing only one), lingerie, and a silk wedding gown. It is suspected that Grant was the mastermind of the spree, having a criminal history, and that he and Olivia met during one of his robberies. The man died from a gunshot wound to the chest meant for his wife and she suffered a similar fate after turning her gun on police. The two had no children and leave behind no surviving family members that could be identified at this time."
Eli Pope sat on his front porch, holding the newspaper that announced his daughter's death. She was pictured wearing a white sundress, smiling like a beauty queen, like her mother, her left hand splayed on the chest of a tall white man wearing a fedora. They were leaning against a black Cadillac. A diamond ring glinted on her ring finger. She smiled at the camera as he planted a kiss on her temple. It was the happiest Eli had ever seen his daughter look. He clipped the picture from the article and threw the rest of the paper away.
A/N: Don't mind me. I'm just bawling. Tell me what you think!