First off, I want to apologize for the delay. Life got pretty hectic over these last couple of weeks, and unfortunately, writing comes second to work and school.

Secondly, I just want to shout out the fact that this story has reached 100k words. That was my goal, starting out. There were many times that I was sure I would run out of ideas or motivation, but you guys kept me on track. I am far from being done with this story (which is the crazy part for me). So this is just a massive thank you for inspiring me and keeping me motivated. This has been the craziest learning experience of a hobby.

Now, let's get on with chapter no. 26

Tiny Vessels—Death Cab For Cutie

This is the moment that you know
That you told you loved her but you don't.
You touch her skin and then you think
That she is beautiful but she don't mean a thing to me.
Yeah, she is beautiful, but she don't mean a thing to me.

A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER

"Hi, stranger."

Olivia jerked awake to find a familiar red head smiling back at her. She popped up from the couch that she was taking a power nap on.

"Abbey! Geez, it has been a while." Olivia pulled her in for a hug. "Do you think you could've cut it any closer to the deadline?" Olivia joked at Abbey's late presence.

The press circuit had officially begun for their movie. That included countless radio shows, television talk shows, magazine interviews, seeing their faces on billboards on the interstate and on every commercial break on the TV. They were about to do a photoshoot and interview for Entertainment Weekly, and Abbey was just getting there five minutes before they were supposed to begin.

"Blame it on the accident on I-10. I was at a standstill for thirty minutes…" Abbey stilled as the makeup artist began to quickly apply her makeup. "Wow, Liv. You are looking great. Winning an Oscar agrees with you."

"So do you. I heard you joined a theater production downtown. How has that been? I meant to make it to a show, but I was in Atlanta. I read your reviews though."

Abbey rolled her eyes, "It was a learning experience. Learning experience meaning I learned that I never want to do theater again. I was so exhausted each night, I think I slept ten hours after every show."

Olivia couldn't help but laugh with Abbey. She missed having a girl friend around. "It is a different pacing. I'm glad I did it in college, because I don't think I have the stamina for a lead role anymore."

"So, we have to catch up! After the L.A. premiere next week, I'm hosting a small party at my house. I meant to invite you earlier, but I wanted to do it in person."

"Alright, Ladies. Whenever you are ready, come out." An intern poked her head into their dressing room briefly before disappearing.

"Bring Fitz. It'll just be a couple of people. Say you'll come."

"Alright, I'll see if we can make it."

"There is someone I would like to introduce you to there." An uncontainable smile crept across her lips.

"Uh-oh. That look on your face." Olivia leaned against the vanity counter and crossed her arms. "Who is he?"

"A lawyer."

"Nice. Tell me more."

"I met him at a party. God, he was so persistent, it was almost annoying. But he is also hilarious, so I decided to give him a chance. Anyways, that was two weeks ago, and we just…click. It's weird."

"Well, are you going to tell me his name?"

"He's actually L.A. County's District Attorney. His name is David Rosen."

"Small world." Olivia burst into laughter. "I actually know him."

"Really? How?"

"Well, I have never met him, but he helped me out a while back We have a mutual friend. He's a good guy. Very trustworthy."

"Good to know that he comes highly recommended. I haven't gotten around to his background check, so I was worried." Abbey chuckled.

The makeup artist finished, and Abbey quickly changed into her outfit.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

/

Olivia missed being the princess of the evening. She kind of missed being pampered and beautified by her team of stylists. She didn't particularly like the actual red carpet and dogged reporters, but she loved the glamming up of the evening and the fashion opportunities. She knew that it wasn't why she pursued acting, but after months of rigorous, gritty filming, she was looking forward to the Los Angeles premiere for her movie with Abbey. And after that, she would fly to New York City, London, and Paris for subsequent premiers.

It was a sweet deal playing the supporting best friend in the movie. She got to hang back at all of the press ops. She was there, just not the center of attention. Noted, but not nitpicked. Walking the red carpet was also infinitely better with Fitz on her arm. He was well into filming his project, which meant long days and short nights. It also meant that they had barely seen each other. Olivia knew when to give him his creative space, knowing that he needed to focus all of his energy to his work. But this was one of the only nights they would have together, with her flying around the world for the international tour of the film. She was more than grateful to have him with her tonight.

From a rack full of the latest designer collections, Olivia opted for a very feminine, crisp white Prada pants suit with a lace La Perla bralette peeping beneath the jacket. Her hair was straight, with the top pinned back. Her hair was getting long, but she had no interest in cutting it any time soon. Especially with no upcoming projects to worry about.

Her team put the final touches on her outfit and packed up their belongings. Fitz rang her doorbell, reminding her of a polite, but nervous prom date coming to pick her up.

"Hi." Fitz was leaning against the door frame in a navy blue suit with the shirt unbuttoned a couple buttons. He had a bouquet of lilies in his hand. His eyes shamelessly wandered all over her body, settling on her cleavage.

"Hi." Olivia motioned for him to come inside as she welcomed his lips on hers.

"You look beautiful." Fitz whispered as he brushed his lips against her cheek.

"Thank you." Olivia smiled as she ran her fingers across the lapels of his jacket. "This is nice. Is it new?" She took the

"Yeah, I just picked it up from the tailor this morning."

"I like it." Olivia went on her tiptoes to kiss him. "And I like you in it."

"These are for you." Fitz held out the flowers.

"Good. I was beginning to think you got them for Hal." Olivia winked as she took them to the kitchen to find a vase.

"Speaking of Hal, what time is he getting here?"

"In about thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes, eh?" Fitz smirked as he undid her jacket button and ran his hands around her bare back, causing her to shiver.

"Fitz…" Olivia giggled as she backed up against the wall, pulling him against her. "You better not mess anything up."

"I can be careful." Fitz smirked as he softly brought his lips to hers. His arm wrapped around her back and pulled her as close to him as possible. They enjoyed their soft, careful kisses, until the doorbell rang. It was Hal with the car waiting.

/

Olivia hadn't been on the red carpet since the Oscars. The cameras were more than excited to snap her presence in a ravenous way. She and Fitz spent their time taking individual pictures and couple pictures, as well as pictures with the cast and various celebrities invited to the carpet. Olivia did her obligatory interviews along the way, and politely mingled on the carpet.

Finally, they were seated in the theater's plush front row seats. Fitz could tell that Olivia was getting nervous. This was the first time this film was being premiered beyond small focus groups. Even though it was just a small comedy role and the film was far from riding on her shoulders, she was still putting herself out there.

Fitz offered his hand to her, which she took into her lap, squeezing it in her hands. "It's going to be great. Relax." He whispered in her ear to where she could only hear.

"Easier said than done." Olivia smiled as she squeezed his hand again. A producer came onto the stage with an introduction and then the lights went down to an excited rumble of claps and cheers.

The next two hours were filled with uncontrollable laughter and peppered with heartwarming moments. With every scene of Olivia's, Fitz found his hand being squeezed tighter and tighter. She was on edge, taking in every audience reaction. Yet, despite her fears, Olivia proved to be a natural comic and the movie was an overall success.

At the end of the movie, the cast was brought on stage for a round of applause. Then it was time for everyone to go home. Fitz stood Olivia's side as countless people came up to compliment her.

Finally, they shared a moment of peace as Hal shut the car door behind Olivia, and stepped into the driver's seat. The noisy outside was muted. Olivia gave Hal the address of Abbey's house and rolled the partition up.

The second the thick divider was completely up, she slid across the middle seat so that she was pressed up against Fitz's side.

"Thank you for coming to this for me."

"I wouldn't miss it, Livvie. I'll always be here for things like this."

"I know, but you didn't have to. I know how hectic your schedule is right now. You shot footage this morning and then you have to go back early tomorrow morning." She brought a hand to his cheek and pulled his mouth to hers and ghosted her lips over his. "These things are very stressful for me, and you being there with me makes it all better. It means a lot to me. Thank you."

"You are welcome." Fitz kissed her back just gently. "I will always show up for you and your career."

Olivia settled into his side with his arm draped over her shoulder. Her fingers played with the vague callouses on his hand for a couple of minutes. She was always fascinated with the minute details of his body that made him who he was.

"I have good news." Olivia said softly. He could hear the smile in her voice.

"Spill."

"I weighed in today at 120 pounds." She turned to where he could see her beaming face. "I'm officially out of the underweight category."

"Wow. That's fantastic. I'm so proud of you."

Olivia could only translate her happiness into kisses as she kissed him feverishly before the tears could form in her eyes. She took his bottom lip between her teeth, tugging it as she moved to straddle him. Fitz couldn't be more grateful for the partition as he felt her soft tongue against his. Way too soon, they felt the car come to a stop. They had arrived at Abbey's house, and a large party was already full swing.

Olivia climbed off of Fitz's lap and straightened her hair and clothes before knocking so that Hal could let her out.

They entered the cool Bel Air home that was overflowing with people. Olivia found Abbey sitting at a stool by her kitchen counter animate with conversation.

"LIV!" Abbey yelled as she laid eyes on Olivia.

"Hey, you. I thought you said this was going to be a small get together." Olivia was pulled in for a hug. She could tell Abbey was well past a few drinks.

"I knew you wouldn't come if I said anything else." Abbey winked. "Hey, Fitz. It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has. Great job tonight. I loved the movie."

"Thanks. Hey, Olivia, there is someone I would want to introduce you to, but I guess you two already know each other." Abbey reached over and pulled David Rosen by the hand to her side. "Olivia Pope. David Rosen."

"Nice to formally meet you." Olivia extended her hand. "Fitz, this is Mellie's friend that helped us out back in February."

"Oh, yeah, it is nice to finally meet you." Fitz warmly shook his hand.

They mingled for a couple minutes before heading outside to her patio for fresh air. Fitz grabbed her a glass of wine, while he stayed sober. Everyone was standing around the pool, so they mingled with some acquaintances before walking over to a gazebo on the edge of the property.

They enjoyed being slightly isolated, catching up with one another, and people watching all of the beautiful and wealthy party-goers. Olivia and Fitz really were each other's best friends, and Olivia missed the simple conversations they held.

"I'm getting really excited planning our vacation." Olivia brought her wine glass to her lips to hide her smirk.

"Are you going to tell me where we are going?"

"Nope." She smirked. "I'll tell you what you need to pack, and that is it."

"Can you drop hints?"

"Um… It isn't inside of the lines of L.A. County."

"Oh, well thanks for narrowing it down. Will I need a passport?"

"I can't say."

"Hot or cold?"

"I can't say."

"Developed or not?"

"I can't say."

"What continent?"

"Okay, fine. It is Antarctica."

"Just know that you are killing me here."

"I promise that you will love it. And if you don't, then you will have to put up with it because you love me."

"You've got me there." Fitz conceded. He looked past her to see a familiar pair of legs waltz away from the main crowd of people in their direction. "Shit."

"What?"

Fitz shifted his body so that he was facing way from the house. "A former friend of mine is walking towards us. She and I kind of… Well, a long time ago, we—"

"Do you want to leave? We can go if there is drama."

"No, no. Don't worry about it. It is ancient news. A long time ago."

"Okay." Olivia nodded, dropping it. Then, she realized who he was talking about as the woman approached them. Olivia studied the tall, tan, long-legged woman through the darkness. Olivia was convinced that there was no way she wasn't a model of some sort. One of those socialites whose life was bought via daddy's credit card, living in a bubble wrapped perfection.

"Fitzgerald…" She flicked a hand through her long brown hair as some sort of wave.

Olivia immediately hated the way his name rolled off of her tongue.

"Emma." Fitz responded, tersely, as she joined them on the gazebo. Fitz arm went around Olivia, pulling her against his side casually.

"It's been a while."

"It sure has." Fitz smiled, but anyone who knew him knew it was forced. "This is my girlfriend, Olivia… Olivia, meet Emma, an…"

"Old flame." Emma extended her perfectly manicured hand to Olivia, as if those words were casual. "To put it lightly."

"Nice to meet you." Olivia said politely as she remained glued against Fitz.

"Likewise." Emma nodded with a subtle air of fakeness before turning back to Fitz. "So, Fitz, I never see you out anymore. It's almost as if you've slipped off of the edge of the earth. You are looking good." Her smoky eyes looked him over. "I see not much has changed."

"Yeah, well my priorities have changed." Olivia could feel the tenseness in him as his arm remained possessively around her waist. His fingers splayed around her hip.

"So now you are all old and boring or something? Come on, Fitz." Emma winked.

"Some people grow up, you know." His voice bit through his controlled manners.

"Okay, okay. I thought there were just bygones between us. My bad." She raised her hands up half defensively, bangles clanking down her wrists. "But I get it. I just wanted to let you know that you are always welcome. It could be just like old times. You know, when we had the real fun."

She gave Olivia a look down as if to say just don't bring her. "I might see you around, Fitz." She turned on her heels and walked back towards the party.

"Fitz?" Olivia was confused about so many things.

"Do you want some more wine? I can go get you some more wine." Fitz's eyes zeroed in on her empty glass.

"No. Do you want to leave?" Olivia looked back at Emma who was now lounging in one of the chairs by the pool, surrounded by people.

"No, we don't have to. I don't want to ruin your night. I'm fine."

"Then are you going to tell me what the hell that was?"

Fitz sighed, leaning against the railing of the gazebo. "Back when I was in college, I was really big into the party scene. It was just who I was around and how I was raised. Drugs and drinking every night. Emma and I were a thing. Well, I was serious and she wasn't. I proposed, thinking it would settle us down or something. I was like twenty one and incredibly stupid. Anyways, she fooled around. It was the first time I ever had my broken heart. It was also a wake-up call. I realized that lifestyle would kill me eventually, so I left. I dropped off. Focused on graduating. Realized that Mellie was the only real friend I had. Decided to put my career first, use my father's connections to really make a name for myself."

"I'm so sorry." Olivia wrapped her arms around his torso.

Fitz looked down at the perfect human being that loved him unconditionally. She was so accepting of his past faults, because she saw who he was now.

"I'm not. In fact, seeing her only reaffirmed one thing for me."

"And what was that?"

Fits brushed some of her hair off of her shoulder and kissed her nose.

"That walking away was the best decision I ever made. Because it put me on the path to meet you. And now I have you. And I couldn't have imagined life turning out as perfect as it is right now with you."

Olivia pulled his mouth down to his and kissed him with all of her love.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Now…" Olivia glanced over to the still crowded party venue, "Why don't we get out of here. I kind of want you to myself right now."

Don't forget to leave your thoughts below! I am going to try my best to get the next chapter up within the next week. Have a nice weekend!