Hey guys.. Sorry for this ridiculously delayed chapter.

Little Dreamer—LIONBABE

Sleep little dreamer
Don't forget to rest your little head
Play little dreamer
Make sure every story has a chance to go
And steal your heart away
I still run with the lost boys
I still look for mermaids
And I hear the moon
And I talk to the trees
We are nothing but magic in our hair
There's no time to waste it


A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER

Fitz brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose and pressed lightly. The bright screen of the monitor was beginning to exacerbate his dull headache. Nothing was going terribly wrong with his film, they just hit a plateau in the editing room. He checked the time in the corner of the computer screen. 5:34. Normal people would be getting off of work.

He looked over to the editors focused on the screen. Their frustration was evident in their faces, but they were still focused on getting it right. He really couldn't have chosen a better team to work with. He could see their spinning wheels, so he decided to cut it short.

"Alright guys, let's leave this sequence be for now. We start fresh tomorrow at nine on scene seventeen."

They all said goodbye and departed, promising to bring fresh faces and ideas in the morning. Fitz drove to Olivia's house. Olivia wasn't expecting him for another two hours, but he couldn't wait to see her, as usual. She invited him and Mellie over for dinner that night, promising to "cook", although they both knew she would pick something up from a restaurant and warm it in the oven beforehand. Mellie had been on a tour across the country, being the celebrity-in-resident for an environmentally conscious movement urging high schools to practice recycling. She hadn't had an opportunity to properly congratulate them.

They had still kept their engagement a secret, wanting to let the world know on their own terms. With Olivia not having any public appearances, it was very easy.

He used his keys to her place, but didn't find her inside. He caught a glimpse of her on the beach through the large windows. She was sitting on a large blanket with books sprawled around her. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun on her head and a pen was tucked neatly behind her ear. She sat with her legs crossed and her chin in hand. Her back was exposed in a flowy, white jumpsuit with a cutout back and thin straps.

Before she could notice him, he ran back to his car to fetch his favorite film camera. She had so much natural beauty, that he tried to capture as much of it as possible. He found the perfect symmetry of her against the white sand and blue ocean. He tossed the camera inside before returning to the beach.

He silently approached her from behind and crept up behind her on the blanket. He kissed her softly on the cheek. She jumped before relaxing into his arms wrapping around her waist.

"Jesus fucking Christ." She muttered in her surprise, causing Fitz to chuckle deeply against her throat.

"Sorry."

"No, you aren't."

"Okay, I'm not." He conceded before seeking out her lips. She surrendered, turning to kiss him better. He sat on the blanket next to her, with his legs behind her, giving her a back rest.

"You are supposed to be at work."

"We had to cut it short. We were spinning wheels."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not." Fitz kissed her again, this time deeper, sliding his tongue between her lips and into her mouth. "What have you been doing?"

"Studying. More like spinning wheels." She repeated his words. She was buried in GRE prep books. She leaned her head back against his knee and groaned.

"How long have you been at it?" He knew she had been intensively studying for a couple of weeks, but she had the tendency to sit down and study for hours without end.

"I don't know, four hours maybe?"

"You need a break."

"No, I don't." She sighed in frustration. "I can't get this down. I can handle all of the sections except for quantitative reasoning. I suck at math."

He massaged her shoulders comfortingly. "It is all going to be fine. You are so smart, you are going to do so well on the test. Any graduate school is going to be lucky to have you."

"You only say that because you love me." She pouted.

"Yes, but also because it is true." He kissed her temple and pulled her close against his chest. They sat there in silence before a moment, before Olivia broke it.

"But what if I don't score well? Then what. I don't want to be taking classes at a sub-par school. That would be so embarrassing. I want to be challenged. I want to learn."

"You will learn no matter who accepts you. I will be proud of you no matter where you go. No matter what, it will be okay. But don't worry. You will excel no matter where you go."

He could feel the stress radiating off of her, still. This was where Olivia's perfectionist personality conflicted with the real world. She wanted to be perfect and control every aspect of life, but there were instances where her destiny as in someone else's hands. And this time it happened at the hands of an anonymous admissions counselor behind a desk with a million other applications to follow hers up.

"What can I do to help?" His fingertips traced circles onto her thighs.

She sighed one last time and closed the book on her lap, tossing it aside. "Pull me away from this, I guess. Distract me."

"Gladly." He stood, pulling her up by the hands. "Can I actually kiss you hello?"

Olivia smiled as she pushed up on her tiptoes pressing her body against his, answering physically rather than verbally. Her mind was far from the books she was just engrossed in, as she ran a hand through his curls.

Fitz took the cue and pressed his lips to hers. Her lips were so soft. He reached down to cup her ass as she moaned and parted her lips for him, half hiking up his body. The way their bodies reacted to each other never ceased to move in sync so naturally. Fitz accepted her tongue, kissing her fiercely again and again. They were breathless and hungry for more. Nothing could ever satiate them.

Fitz broke their passionate kiss. Olivia bowed her head to his. He kissed her forehead. "Distracted?"

"Mmmhmmm." She sighed, this time in contentment. "Let's go inside."

"Let's do that." Fitz agreed. They carried the books and blanket inside. Fitz helped her pick out what was for dinner. They ordered and chose delivery so they could spend time together before Mellie arrived.

Fitz stood in between Olivia's legs as she sat on the counter. They were casually exchanging kisses and conversation.

"What is this?" Fitz looked past Olivia at the stack of opened mail on the counter behind her. It was a court document.

"It is for the investigation of the murder of Keilon Williams. The boy in Atlanta. They are trying Officer Ballard. Since I was in the epicenter, and have a lot of firsthand knowledge, they want my testimony. I have been subpoenaed."

"When?" Fitz asked, studying her face.

"Next week. I was going to mention it to you, but you…distracted me."

"I'm going with you."

"You have work."

"I'm going with you."

"Okay." Olivia nodded, wanting him there for emotional support. "Chase was subpoenaed too. He is still shooting is documentary about it. This will give him a lot of footage for the process. I might have to stay a couple extra nights to help him and shoot extra for it."

"I will be there for however long you need."

"Thank you."

Fitz dropped the mail back into its place and kissed her on the lips, briefly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Olivia brought her left hand to cup his chin. She found herself using her left hand for a lot more things lately. Every time she lifted her hand her engagement ring to the light, she was reminded of how much he loved her and vice versa.

Fitz took her other hand in his, studying it. "What happened to your infinity ring?" His voice wasn't accusatory, just curious.

Olivia bit her lip, pulling her hand from his and running it through the curls at the nape of his neck. "I haven't lost it, I just want to put it away for now." She kissed his lips before he could form an emotion. "Trust me." She let her lips linger against his, as she whispered those two lines against his skin.

"Okay."

"Have you had a chance to look at the set of floorplans I sent you?" Olivia swiftly changed the subject for now. Since between the two of them, money was the least of their concerns, they decided on building a home from scratch, using the finest architects and contractors in the country. No fantasy detail was left untouched as they went through dozens of plans for their dream home. They wanted to have the house ready when they married, so they couldn't waste any time.

"No, not yet. I haven't had a minute." Fitz conceded.

"Well, while we have the time, I have them right over here. Come look at them. There is one, I am favoring."

He followed her to the living room floor, where she laid out the multiple blueprints. They spent the next hour or so discussing and amending the plans for their future. Olivia rested between his legs as they poured over the details.

"I really like the pool for number seven. It's very Mediterranean. But I like the way number four has the wide glass wall that gives you the view of the ocean." Olivia moaned as her chin fell to her hands. "This is so unfair."

Fitz laughed at her childish greediness and commitment to make it perfect. "Well, we could always add a pool to number four, but it all comes down to what style you want. Which one do you think you will still want twenty years down the road?"

Olivia pursed her lips as she flipped through the other, casting them aside. "What do you want?" she leaned back, letting her back fall against his chest.

Fitz pressed his cheek against hers as he deliberated over the sketches. After a couple minutes of thought, he decided, "I like the interior of the modern style. It feels less stuffy, and has more room for innovation. But I also like the exterior of the Mediterranean style. It has more character, and seems like it will last longer. But I can't say I holistically prefer one more than the other."

"What if we took number seven but redesigned the inside and made it modern. Not to make it clash, but to give it a makeover. Maybe adding some larger windows." Olivia mused out loud.

Fitz grabbed a notepad off of the coffee table behind them and began to sketch their ideas.

"Why don't we remove the couches from the movie room…"

"And do what?"

"Replace the whole floor with a mattress like material. Get some oversized pillows and blankets to litter the floor. So we could lie wherever and be comfortable."

Olivia nodded, looking at the sketches. "I like that. It is different."

Fitz brought his mouth centimeters from her ear. His warm breath tickled her skin, and his low voice did something to her insides. "It would make it easier for me to fuck you over every inch."

Olivia drummed her fingers along his knee. "And the true motives become clear."

"Were they ever not crystal clear?" Fitz slowly unzipped the back of her jumpsuit and snaked his hand around to her core. He was pleasantly surprised to find her without any underwear on. "Something tells me, you were already aware."

Olivia had a witty comeback on the tip of her tongue, but it quickly left her as he began massaging her most tender part. His fingers were so slick with her quick arousal, it made her even wetter.

Fitz began an assault of kisses onto her neck. "I just want our house to be ready for when I want you."

"Mmhmm." Was all Olivia cared to comment as he inserted two finger into her, pumping tortuously slow.

"I just want to be able to fuck my wife at any point."

Olivia felt her breath catch at the mention of wife. She felt helpless as she wanted him to feel as good as she was. She kicked the blueprints away and pushed him on his back. Fitz gave her the control as she kissed his lips, tugging his bottom lip between her teeth. She grinded her pussy against his leg, wasting no time in getting his hard.

Her fingers traced the outline of his dick in his pants, before trailing up his body to the buttons on his shirt. As she slipped his third button through the loop, the doorbell rang. Olivia halted her movements, but made no move to get up as she exhaled heavily.

"The food." Fitz patted her ass softly. "You go get the door, I'll clean these up."

"I don't wanna…" Olivia groaned again, making Fitz smile at her childish refusal.

"The sooner you get up, the sooner we can get back to it."

Olivia spent one more moment in his arms, before kissing him quickly and getting up. She readjusted herself on the way to door. After tipping the delivery boy handsomely, she popped the food in the warm oven. She hid any evidence that the food was bought. Fitz went ahead and set the table for later. By the time he finished, Olivia was lying on the couch.

"Where were we?" Fitz lied in between her legs, resting his chin on her chest.

Olivia ran her hands through his hair, just like he loved it. She noticed how tired his eyes looked. "You look exhausted." She tenderly drew a fingertip across his cheek.

"It was a rough day at work." Fitz sighed as he brought a hand to her cheek, mimicking hers. "But, I'm better now."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talking is the last thing I want to do right now." Fitz stretched to kiss her softly on the lips.

"I love you." Olivia whispered. They both knew that Mellie would be there shortly, so they were content to cuddle with occasional kisses. Olivia scratched his back, for the most part, in silence.

"Can I come visit you at work?" Olivia asked, moving her hands to his hair, and softly plaiting tiny strands.

"Of course."

"I wouldn't be interrupting? I don't want to get in the way."

"You wouldn't." Fitz lifted his head to look at her with his piercing blue eyes. "I would love for you to stop by."

"Okay. I will sometime." Olivia kissed his nose and went back to scratching his back.

They were in such simplistic heaven, that when Mellie rang the doorbell, neither one of them took the initiative to get up. Finally, Olivia rolled off of the couch and went to the door. She was met by Mellie with a huge expectant smile and a bottle of wine with a bow on it.

"Hello, the future Mrs. Grant." Mellie grinned as she pulled Olivia in for a hug.

"Hi, Mellie. How have you been?"

"Oh, don't let me bore you, I want to see the ring."

Olivia dangled her left ring finger out for her to behold.

"Shit. This is gorgeous. Fitz, I knew you had it in you." She called in to the house, knowing he wasn't far

"Had what?" Fitz appeared around the corner, kissing Mellie on the cheek.

"That romantic, sentimental shit. I knew you would find the right one." Mellie shot a look at Olivia before handing over the bottle of wine in her hand over. "Here. This is my Happy Engagement/Thank You for Having Me Over gift."

Olivia took the bottle, examining the label, "Oh, shit." was all she got out as her jaw dropped.

"I know how much you love your wine. I wanted to surprise you."

"They don't even make this anymore… I thought it was… How did you? ..,"

"My tour went through Napa Valley, so I called in some favors with an old friend who happens to be a wine dealer. There was a forgotten bottle he had gotten a hold of."

Olivia held the bottle of rare Cabernet Sauvignon in awe. "Well, why don't we go open this?"

Olivia brought the food out, and Fitz poured them all a glass of wine.

"Can I say a couple of things?" Mellie asked before they shared the meal together. "I have had the beauty of the journey with you two. I was there from the beginning, when I accidentally burst in on you two. I saw the downfall. The heartbreak. I saw how being apart ruined you two. I saw how hard it was to pick up the pieces and start again. Love that hurt as much as it did for you two means that it was worth it. You two are worth it for each other. You make each other better, and are an inspiration in the name of love. So here." She raised her glass of wine in the air. "Here is to the beautiful adventure you two are embarking on. I wish you the best."

They raised their glasses to her toast. Olivia swirled the exquisite wine against her tongue as she thought about the weight of her words. It really had been a rollercoaster ride, but they were buckled in for the rise. She was there to stay, and he made sure of it with his promises.

/

After Mellie left, Olivia and Fitz were in the kitchen cleaning up. Olivia was quiet, which meant that she was either in deep thought or something was bothering her—or both. Fitz paused his task of wiping down the counter to watch Olivia from behind loading the dishwasher. She was beautiful from every angle. He poured the final glass of wine from the bottle and walked behind her, wrapping his free hand around her waist. Olivia relaxed into his chest as he brought the glass of wine to her lips.

"I know I say this every day, but I can't wait to be married to you." Fitz then took a sip from the glass.

"Is it really going to be that different?" Olivia guided his hand so he could feed her the drink again. "We already do what married people do. We practically live together—although I do love the thought of waking up with you every morning—simply living together isn't what makes a marriage."

"What are you getting at?"

"I don't know. I'm not doubting anything, I'm just curious." She ran her fingers through his. "I didn't really have an example of marriage growing up. My mother was gone before I really knew what the adult dynamics of a marriage was. They were just my parents to me. I was too young to view them as anything else. I just don't know what to expect. What will change? I can't imagine it getting any better than this."

Fitz turned her around gently and brought a hand to her cheek, tracing down to her neck.

"My father was a scumbag. He cheated left and right on my mother. The only reason she stayed with him is because of me. Looking back, I wish she would've left him. I wish she would have put herself first and lived her life the way she wanted to, but she was too selfless. The point is, I have absolutely no idea. I have no blueprint. I know what marriage shouldn't be. I know what not to do. But the rest, we will have to take day by day. I will love you, and you will love me. We'll figure the rest out as it comes."

An unexpected tear slid out of the corner of Olivia's eye, surprising them both. It wasn't a tear of sadness or frustration. She just felt so much love for him it was overwhelming.

"Hey, come here." Fitz slowly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. Olivia obliged, resting her head against his chest and exhaling deeply. They stayed in this embrace for the longest time.

"Do you remember the night you won the Oscar? When I took you to that private spot on the beach?"

Olivia nodded against his chest.

"I told you I was going to marry you one day. You told me you loved me, but that was all you could offer me."

Olivia pulled her head away from his chest to look at him. "I remember."

"Well, what changed since then?"

Olivia opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Why did you agree to marry me?"

"I don't know. It just felt right. In the water with you. It still does fell right. Every second with you I think this is where I'm supposed to be. I love you, and I don't want a future without you."

"Then that is all that matters. As long as we are honest with each other and continue to love each other as much as we do, our marriage is going to be amazing."

He leaned down to brush his lips against her nose. He didn't have all of the answers she wanted, but he did love her so fiercely. He would protect her from everything within his power, and make sure that she had the life she deserved.

"Fitz?"

"Mm?"

"I'm ready to tell the world about the engagement."