Fitz was annoyed.
The last couple hours have been pure frustration for him. And such a clusterfuck. His apartment had been broken into yet not robbed. There wasn't a single item missing but everything was thoroughly trashed and destroyed in some capacity. Someone was sending him a clear message that they knew how to get to him and it made his skin crawl. When the police asked if he knew of anyone who would do such a thing, there was no doubt in his mind about it being Edison, especially after the events of the night before. It was too big of a coincidence. But he had no proof. It was pure speculation as far as the cops were concerned, but nevertheless worth the mention so they could follow up.
Once Olivia had made it to his place, horror was written all over her face when she saw his truck being hauled away. The General looked as if someone had taken a baseball bat to it. Its windows and lights smashed. Its tires slashed, paint scraped and deep dents punctured throughout the body of the vehicle.
No. Fitz wasn't annoyed actually.
He was beyond fucking pissed off but he found that he had to suppress his anger about the situation to appease Olivia. He reassured her that nothing had been stolen. His security system had been disabled, his car vandalized, and his home left in complete disarray. It was a petty act meant to antagonize him. But those were just materials that could be replaced. He was safe and that was truly what mattered.
After wrapping up on the phone with his insurance company, Fitz took a long deep breath. They would be sending someone on Monday to look at the damage done. In the meantime, he was advised to stay somewhere else for his own safety until they could upgrade his security system. Yet another thing to add to his ever growing list. He was passed annoyance and anger. Now he just needed a drink and it was barely two in the afternoon. He walked back into his living room to find that his friends along with his girlfriend had been putting in work to clean up the mess that had been made. He was grateful. He had no plans to clean it himself. Instead he was going to hire cleaners to take care of the inconvenience. A lot would need to be replaced such as his TV, his couches and windows but that was a worry for another day. He was sort of done dealing with the day's events.
"We cleaned up as much as we could." Cece said.
"You guys didn't have to. I was going to hire a cleaning crew to take care of all this. I'm grateful." Fitz said sincerely. "I just spoke to the insurance company. They'll come sometime in the next couple weeks to assess all the damage and upgrade my security system."
"You need new windows dude." Abby chimed from the kitchen. She was sitting on top of the counter eating out of a box of cereal. Harrison raised his eyebrows at her, she shrugged. "What? I was doing inventory and it occurred to me that we rushed here from brunch and I barely got to eat anything. I'm tiny. A girl's gotta eat."
Olivia stood across from Fitz trying to read his expression and it scared her that she couldn't. She was freaking out, wondering what was going through his mind. They've barely spoken since she got here. She could sense that he seemed merely annoyed when she arrived. She wasn't certain if it was her presence or the situation. Or both maybe? After all, if Edison truly was behind this, she was directly at fault as well. None of this would be happening if not for her. No new relationship should be charged with so much bullshit. She found herself wondering if she was bringing too much drama into Fitz's life. Would he think she's worth all the trouble? And if he decides she's not, then what? Where do they go from there? If the roles were reversed, she for sure would have a lot to reconsider. Why shouldn't he?
Trepidation began to set in. Fitz was going to realize she wasn't worth any of it and break up with her. Olivia was certain of it and just as the thought snuck up on her, her eyes began to water and she made a mad dash for the front door.
"Son of a bitch!" Fitz groaned.
The front door slammed before he even had the chance to ask where she was going.
He had been watching her from the corner of his eyes and he saw the moment that absurd thought occurred to her. He could read it all over her face but he didn't think she would react that quickly and bolt. He didn't even get a chance to grab his jacket before he went after her.
A confused Cece and Harrison looked at each other in defeat. "What the hell just happened with them?"
"Your cousin is being crazy. Thinks Fitz is gonna break up with her." Abby who had witnessed the whole scene play out wordlessly, informed nonchalantly. "Catch up."
The bitter November cold whooshed across Fitz's cheek as he stood on the top steps, looking from both ends of his street to see which direction Olivia went. He saw her heading towards the corner of Main Street where she had a better chance of flagging a cab. He skipped the steps and set on a light jog to catch up to her. He couldn't understand how she was walking so fast. Damn woman was gonna be the death of him someday.
"Liv!" He shouted after her. "Baby, come on. Would you please stop walking so fast?"
But she didn't listen. She just kept going without even looking back. Fitz groaned and picked up his speed to catch up to her. He grabbed her by the waist and turned her body to face him.
"What?!" Olivia snapped.
Fitz's eyebrows kissed in a deep frown. "What do you mean "what" woman?" He replied. "You're the one who just bolted out for no reason."
"Well I thought I'd save us both the time and embarrassment. You wanna be done, just say so and let me go." Olivia spat stubbornly.
Fitz's face broke into a grin before uncontrollable laughter escaped his lips. He didn't mean to laugh but she looked so cute and irrational and the situation was overall just so stupid, he didn't know how else to react. But apparently, Olivia didn't find this moment to be as humorous because annoyance and embarrassment was written all over her face. Fitz pulled her flush against his body and brought a trembling hand to graze her cheek softly.
"Baby," He leaned his forehead against hers and just barely ghosted his lips over hers. His tone was gentle and soft when he spoke again. "Don't take this the wrong way but you're being just a little bit cuckoo, okay?"
Olivia felt suddenly overwhelmed by him. He was so close and the nearness of him tends to disarm her of everything. "But-" She began to protest.
He clipped the words from her with a sweet peck to her upper lip. "No buts. You can't get rid of me that easily." Fitz said. "I know you think I'm upset with you. But I'm not. I don't blame you for any of this. We're okay mama, I promise you. And I definitely do not wanna be done." He pulled away slightly to look into her eyes. His fingers were now tangled in her hair and he was gently massaging her scalp. In record time, he watched her relax again before his eyes. He kissed her lips again. This time lingering a bit as his thumb caressed her neck.
"What was up with you trying to push me away then? You didn't even want me to come help." Olivia frowned when they pulled away. She was determined not to let him off easy.
"To be quite honest with you, when I called to inform you what I walked in on, I was pissed off and I didn't want you to see me that way. Also, your parents are in town which is a rarity and I was frustrated that this happened because I was looking forward to spending time with you and them. Honestly, I still would've preferred that you spent time with them instead of having to deal with this." Fitz explained .
Olivia understood now how he was feeling but she was still a bit stirred by how he tried to handle the situation. She squinted, her nose scrunched and her lips set in a tight line. "You can't do that." She paused for a second to gather her thoughts. She wanted to allow herself the space to be vulnerable with him without sounding frustrated at him. "You can't just...push me away when you're upset or going through something. I understand needing space but if you don't clearly communicate that to me, I'm just going to assume that you're purposely pushing me away and I dislike that. We're not just friends anymore, Fitzgerald. We're partners now too which means, I'm always going to want to be here, want to help. So when you try to push me away, it makes me feel-"
Rejected. Sad. Scared. Like I'm losing you before we even truly begin.
"I'm sorry. This will never happen again." Fitz said sincerely. His blue eyes were a mirror straight to his soul and Olivia forgave him instantly. "Do you believe me?" He asked.
Olivia didn't answer. It would seem she needed a little bit more persuading and Fitz was happy to reassure her. He began peppering her face with kisses until she had no choice but to start giggling and kiss him back.
"Yes." She sighed.
"Thank God. Now can we please go back inside?" Fitz begged. "My balls are starting to shrivel."
This time it was Olivia's turn to burst into laughter. She leaned in for another quick peck and then looped her arm through his. As they began walking back to Fitz's loft, she teased him, mumbling something about taking the man out of California but not California out of the man.
When they entered the loft, Abby was there to greet them impatiently with her sour mood. She was getting hangry. And a hangry redhead was the equivalent of a tornado.
"Can we go get some food and plot how we're going to break Edison's kneecaps, please?"
"I have a better idea." Fitz wiggled his eyebrows. "You ladies stay here and order lunch while me and Harry take a trip to Home Depot for some plywood to cover the windows."
"And then we can talk about breaking fuckface's spine?" Abby interjected.
"Absolutely." Fitz answered.
Over the next hour and a half, the group of friends put that very plan into motion. Abby ordered from a little middle eastern place in midtown. By the time Fitz and Harrison returned from their errand, the ladies had liven up the place with music and wine. Food delivered shortly after and they all dug in together. It was a happy break where they all got to forget about the events of the morning and simply have a good time - eating, drinking and laughing. Olivia and Cece all but drooled as Fitz and Harrison worked together to hammer up the plywood against the window frames. It was such a cliché but something about men doing handy work was definitely sexy. Edison did not come up again.
One by one, their friends left and then it was just Olivia and Fitz. Silence served as their companion while they sat together, Olivia's head on Fitz's lap. Every so often, she would kiss his hand and lean into the warmth of his palm. It brought the softest grin to Fitz's face.
"Have I ever told you I love you?" He asked casually.
Olivia looked up at him with a half smile and shook her head coyly. "No." She replied but the glow in her eyes was unmistakable.
"Well I do." Fitz affirmed. "Always."
Olivia sat up but only to straddle his lap and face him. She ran her fingers through his hair as she looked into his gorgeous blue eyes. "Show me." Her gaze dropped to his lips and in an instant he was kissing her breathless.
Her shirt came off next and his belt buckle came loose. Gasping moans filled the air while they stumbled down the hallway to Fitz's room, shedding clothes in their wake.
Halfway through, Fitz picked her up and guided them safely to the bed while devouring her lips. He wasted no time kissing his way down her neck and body. Soon his head was buried between Olivia's thighs as she thrashed above him while his name echoed in the air like a hymn. Stars and rainbows burst behind her lids when he sunk into her finally. It hurt to breathe but she found that perhaps she didn't need to at all anymore because he breathed life into her with each kiss he bestowed on her. Their kisses were sloppy; possessive and with each thrust of his hips, Olivia dug her nails deeper into his flesh.
And as love and lust merged into one with each heated kiss and mewling moans, the two lovers were far too transcended into euphoria to notice their audience of one from the blinking webcam hidden inside the smoke detector in Fitz's room.
Two hours later, Olivia stirred awake from a deep sleep to the feel of soft lips lining the slope of her back with kisses. She stretched and turned into Fitz's arms with a smile.
"Hi sleepyhead." Fitz teased, leaning down to capture her lips.
Olivia moaned blissfully into the kiss, bringing her hand up to caress his cheek. "Mmm… I needed that." She moaned.
"The nap or the sex?" Fitz asked with a goofy smirk.
Olivia blushed. "Both. You spoil me."
With raised eyebrows, Fitz playfully questioned, "Is that a complaint?"
Olivia rolled him fully on top of her. She burst into giggles when he began tickling her. Soon her giggles turned into a relaxed sigh as he laid sweet kisses up her neck. She ran her foot up and down his leg as her hand roamed his sculpted back, up and down his spine. She kissed his forehead a couple times before responding. "Mm-mm. I wouldn't dream of it."
"That's a relief." Fitz smiled and laid his ear to her chest. Instantly, her fingers were running through his curls. "Wanna see if your parents would be up for a late-ish dinner and maybe a movie? I feel bad about us ditching them today."
Olivia nodded. "Sure baby. I think they'd love that. You're the sweetest."
Neither made a move to place the call for a while. Instead, they just held each other in complete silence; caressing each other's flesh with tender touches and the softest kisses. After a few, Olivia thought Fitz had fallen back asleep.
"Babe?" She whispered.
"I'm awake." Fitz replied. "What's up?"
"I was just thinking. What if you stayed with me until the insurance company comes?"
Fitz looked up at her. "Why?"
Olivia shrugged. "I don't know." She responded shyly. "I guess I'm just not too crazy about the idea of you staying here without some form of security. I'd be freaking out if it were my apartment that got broken into. And I know you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself but I think it would give me peace of mind to know for sure that you're safe."
Fitz understood where she was coming from and he was touched. He didn't need much convincing after hearing her concerns. "Okay baby." He agreed.
Olivia smiled. "And would it be okay if my friend Huck looked into a better security system for you? He's in cyber security and I trust him."
Fitz nodded. "Whatever you need to feel secure again, baby. This is your home too and I'm really sorry this happened."
Hearing his words brought tears to Olivia's eyes. Until he mentioned it, she didn't realize that she also felt violated by the incident. His apartment has always been a safe space for her since they met and someone threatened that. She had personal items here. She shared intimacy and sacred memories with him here. She couldn't shake the thought of someone stripping her of that security and control. Especially knowing it could be Edison.
Olivia didn't know why the heck she was so emotional all of the sudden but she could hardly blink back her tears as she leaned down to peck his lips. "I don't deserve you. I love you so much." She murmured.
"Ditto."
Eventually they got out of bed. Fitz managed to snag a booth for eight at Ocean Prime while Olivia was on the phone with her parents .They were eager that their daughter and son-in-law wanted to treat them for the evening and agreed almost immediately to the last minute plans. After hanging up with her mom, Olivia sent the invite to her friends and cousins as well. And of course everyone was open to a night out.
While Olivia showered, Fitz packed an overnight bag with all his essentials for the next few days. Halfway through his packing, he realized he felt almost giddy inside. Despite this situation being less than ideal, he had to admit there was a silver lining to it that excited him. Falling asleep and waking up to Olivia Pope for the next week wasn't an occurrence any regular schmuck got to experience. He was crazy about his woman!
He joined her in the shower just in time. After all, saving water was the environmental thing to do.
"My God. You are beautiful." He beguilingly stated.
They almost don't make it in time for dinner.
Ocean Prime was a wonderful treat.
The four course meal was a delight and the added bonus of cocktails made for a more festive ambiance between Olivia, her friends and family.
Sometime before their big entrée, Dominic proposed a toast to his wife and daughters; smoothly including Abby in there. That definitely caught the redhead off guard and she fought back tears before blaming the temperature in the room. Dominic was a poet with his words and as Olivia listened on, she found herself feeling so emotional. There was so much happiness surrounding her. And then there was this perfect man sitting next to her who made it all feel all so magnified. She wanted to shout her love for him out loud.
"Anybody else have something to add?" Dominic asked.
Olivia cleared her throat and nodded. Though they didn't discuss this very moment happening tonight, it was only a matter of time and Olivia didn't think Fitz would mind in the slightest. So she just went for it.
"Yeah. Mommy, daddy, friends, I want to formally introduce you to my partner. Fitz and I are together." She announced.
Everyone seemed to be waiting for her to say more but she couldn't decipher the crazy looks they were giving her either. When she looked at Fitz, he was blushing. He gave her hand a squeeze under the table.
"Okay, who's gonna tell her?" Abby snickered.
"Tell me what?" Olivia questioned.
"We been knew sis!" Harrison deadpanned.
The whole table exploded into a fit of synchronized laughter. Even Maya was hysterical.
"Worst kept secret in all of New York!" Abby exclaimed. "Glad you two are knocking boots now. God is real." Turning to Stephen, the redhead winked at him. "You owe me a date." She mouthed subtly.
"Yes ma'am!" The Scottish brunet grinned.
It was taking everything Olivia had not to slide under the table from embarrassment. But just when she was wishing for the power to vanish, her dad proposed a new toast.
"To family, new beginnings and beautiful relationships."
Everyone was so inspired by the toast that after chasing it away with liquor, they solidified it with a kiss. Even the elders. Everyone except for Abby who sat dumbfounded looking at her plate.
"Seriously you guys? Right in front of my salad?" She complained.
But before she could go on further, Stephen grabbed her neck and silenced her with her very own magical kiss.
New beginnings indeed.
Sunday was about complete recovery for Olivia. Sleeping in late and waking up to Fitz's kisses — which segued into multiple earth shattering orgasms. Playing with him was an unforgettable experience. And he was the best she ever had. There was an art to the way he fucked or made love to her. Such devotions in his actions; his yearning to learn her body and ruin her for everybody else out there.
His kisses alone made her breathless. Watching him suck her nipples and showering her with affection while fingering her brought her to a tearful orgasm. But the way he fucked her was her damnation. Olivia had never experienced such close intimacy as when Fitz took her sideways. His strong arms holding her tight; feeling his hot breath against her neck as he whispered to her in his raspy morning baritone how much he loved her and how amazing she felt; his balls slapping against her clit while he moved his hips at an incredibly pleasuring pace; his hand massaging her breasts and circling her clit to draw her into the abyss. It was perfect. And she was a fucking mess.
They did nothing afterwards. Just stayed in bed and watched TV until they both fell asleep again. The next time they both woke up, it was well into the afternoon. They showered together, trying to stay on their best behavior while lathering each other up. After showering, Fitz cooked and Olivia watched from the counter. A thought kept coming to her. And she tried so hard to push it down but ultimately, it made her so warm inside and she had butterflies. He made her want to settle and be still with him. She wanted to live with him… permanently. Build a house and make a home out of each other.
She prepped for her short week of teaching while he gave her toes a fresh coat of royal dark teal polish. She had a timer set for how long she wanted to work and as soon as it went off, she tackled him to the floor and it was on as they wrestled playfully. They tried some yoga together. Fitz was still working on his flexibility. The relaxing session somehow ended with Olivia on his back, where she spent long minutes torturing his pores after finding one zit on his shoulder. Then, when she had her fill of that, she just laid there - kissing and sucking on his neck, tracing her fingers over his freckles, massaging his scalp and Fitz just let her.
"You're a lunatic, woman!" He complained but immediately softened when she kissed his cheek.
"But you love me anyway, right?" Olivia pouted.
Fitz looked back at her as best he could then entwined their fingers and kissed her knuckles. "I'll always love you, nut."
And that was all Olivia ever needed.
Her short week of teaching went by quickly and was a lot of fun. It was great crafting hand turkeys with her students and talking about their traditions at home.
By Wednesday evening, Fitz and Olivia were all packed for their drive to the Pope residence in the Hamptons. It was so peaceful — sipping on pumpkin spice lattes and listening to some country and easy rock while watching the flurries of snow melting on the windshield.
By the time they arrived at her parent's, night had fallen and they were happy to come in from the cold. As per usual, her parents were excited to see the pair. They shared a late dinner before calling it a night.
The thanksgiving holiday weekend flew by all too quickly.
On Thursday, they had a delicious feast of traditional dishes and drank way too much. Meeting Olivia's extended family was a surreal experience for Fitz. They had a blast dancing, overeating, playing twister and other competitive board games. The house was full of laughter and great vibes. And for the first time in a very long time, Fitz felt like he was a part of something much bigger than himself. He belonged someplace. He had a home.
Friday morning, he rolled on his side to face the most beautiful woman he's ever known. He kissed her tenderly until her gorgeous doe brown eyes fluttered open and her lips widened in a lazy smile.
"Good morning."
"I love you." He told her.
Smiling, Olivia gently stroked his chin before leaning in again to kiss him. "I love you too baby." She replied.
It didn't take long for their tender kiss to spark a million little fires. Soon she was on top of him, losing herself blissfully into every inch of him until his name was the only syllables she could muster. He held her tightly as they fell apart together.
Much later when they regained consciousness again, they joined the rest of the family for leftovers. In between the clinking of silverwares and moans of gusto, plans were made for the day.
They did some cleaning. They went on a hunt for the perfect tree, pulled out decorations from the basement and over hot cocoa, they transformed the tree into a breathtaking symbol of happiness and togetherness.
Saturday night, after everyone turned in for the night, Olivia performed her bedtime routine in a trance. She could feel sadness sinking in and couldn't process leaving tomorrow afternoon to go back to her life in the city. A feeling of melancholy washed over her as she turned off the faucet and wiped her hands on a towel.
As soon as she stepped into her room, Fitz could sense her sour mood and immediately gave her his full attention.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
Olivia shook her head. "Nope."
She slipped on a cami silk set and then sat in front of her mirror to apply her facial moisturizer and serums. She avoided eye contact with Fitz at all cost and she was foolish to think he didn't notice. Because of course he did. When she joined him in bed finally, he immediately pulled her on top of him. He kissed her lips and she sighed deeply.
"Have I ever told you I love you?"
A smile blossomed on Olivia's face and she failed to contain the giddiness she felt at hearing those words. They were becoming her favorite words to hear.
"Still?" She blushed, biting on her lower lip.
"Always baby." Fitz answered sincerely.
Olivia rolled her eyes playfully. "You're so charming. I can't stand it." She whined.
"Charming enough for you to tell me what's on your mind?" He smirked.
Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. "Did you have a good time here?"
Fitz nodded. "I did baby. I loved meeting everyone and hanging out with our friends. It was really nice."
Olivia smiled. "Ditto."
"So then why are you so mopey?"
"I don't want it to end." Olivia confessed. "These past few days... waking up and going to bed next to you. I've gotten used to it and I can't imagine going back to what my "normal" was before."
Fitz pulled her closer to him and kissed her chin. His heart was bursting inside his chest. And he could hardly contain his joy. He wished for this moment to happen so many times. He just didn't want to rush things but now that he knew she felt the same, he didn't want to waste another second.
"Then let's not go back to normal." He suggested.
Her gaze widened as she looked into his eyes. "What does that mean?"
"Let's move in together."
Olivia's jaw dropped and she shoved his shoulder gently. "Stop playing Fitzgerald."
Fitz chuckled. "I'm not. I can sell the loft."
"But you love your loft! I can't ask you to do that."
"I love you more. And you're not asking."
Olivia's heart sped up. "Isn't this too soon?"
Fitz gave her his signature crooked smile and shrugged. "I don't care. Do you?"
In the next beat, Olivia found herself laughing uncontrollably as she shook her head. Tears pooled behind her eyes. She didn't care either. She just wanted him. Always. This man was making her feel crazy things and she never wanted to stop feeling them.
"So this is happening? Just like that?" She wanted to make sure this wasn't some hallucination or a really wonderful dream that she'll soon wake out of.
Fitz leaned in, nuzzling his nose against her cheek. "Yeah. Just like that."
She framed his handsome face in her palms and caressed his cheek with her thumb. "Have I ever told you I love you?" She whispered.
Fitz smirked and his eyes shimmered with love. "Really?" He teased.
"Yeah. I really fucking love you." She declared just before his lips fell against hers.
Fitz didn't doubt her for a second but hearing those words will always make his heart sing.
Their return home felt sweeter after the next steps they agreed to take with each other. There was no rush but Olivia rejoiced in the fact that it was happening soon. They rapidly fell into an easy routine with each other; eating dinner together most nights, talking about everything and nothing, making more plans. Olivia especially looked forward to new bedtime routines. Some nights, they made love until they couldn't move. And other nights, they sipped wine and watched jeopardy together like a couple of nerds. It was something new for the both of them. They genuinely liked each other and that was just as important as loving each other.
The following week, Huck was in town. He flew in at Olivia's request to come take a look at Fitz's loft. After having lunch together and catching up a bit, Huck put himself to work.
"Hey Liv," Huck called. "Can I...uh speak to you privately?"
Olivia looked at him trying to gauge the expression on his face. His tone let her know that whatever it was, was urgent. However, his expression fell flat.
Her and Fitz shared a look before Olivia shrugged and excused hers elf to go speak to go Huck.
They walked down the hallway leading towards Fitz's room. As soon as Huck deemed them at a safe distance, he turned to face Olivia.
"How long have you been dating this guy?" He asked.
"Not long." Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. "It's still fairly new. Why are you asking?"
Huck completely ignored her question and instead continued with his inquiries. "Do you trust him?"
At that, Olivia tilted her head and a frown took form across her features. "Yes I trust him." She replied without hesitance. "Huck, what's with the twenty-one questions? What the hell is going on?"
"Okay. I don't know him. And maybe I'm overthinking this and you already knew he was doing this…"
Olivia snapped, "Huck, you're rambling."
"I found some hidden cameras in his room. Did you know that he's been recording you?"
The moment the words escaped his lips, the color drained from Olivia's face and her eyes instantly pooled with water. Taking her reaction as confirmation that she didn't know or consent to being filmed, Huck's protective nature kicked in and he turned furious instantly.
Just then, Fitz came walking towards them and Huck looked up to see him coming. With all the anger flowing through him, he moved past Olivia and charged towards Fitz with balled up fists.
"Is everything-"
Before Fitz could even finish his sentence, he caught a fist square in the jaw.
"You son of a bitch!"
"Oh my God! Huck, stop it!" Olivia screamed in shock.
But her scream fell to deaf ears because the shorter, bulkier man took another swing at Fitz. This time, Fitz ducked as his sense of fight kicked in. He easily countered Huck's next blow and put him in a tight headlock.
"What the fuck is going on?" Fitz asked calmly, looking at Olivia. On the inside, he was anything but calm. He had just been attacked for no reason.
Huck elbowed him in the ribs and slammed them back into the wall behind them. The impact affected Fitz the most and he felt the wind get knocked out of him and he lost the last shred of calm he was holding onto. Before he could get his bearings, Huck had produced a glock out of nowhere and was pointing the weapon against his forehead with the safety off.
"Not another move or I will shoot you like the animal that you are." Huck's chilly tone instantly cooled the air.
Instead of coming up with about a dozen different ways to disarm Huck, Fitz put his hands up in resignation to try and de-escalate the situation. He was pissed and this was definitely not funny anymore.
"ENOUGH!" Olivia yelled.
She was completely appalled and in shock. She felt like the last couple minutes were unreal. Like something that could only happen in some crazy movie.
"Get that gun out of his face!" She cried furiously. Walking towards Huck, she pushed his hand aside and put herself in between the two men. Huck lowered the weapon hesitantly and watched as Olivia cradled Fitz's face in her hands, gently caressing his cheek. More tears gathered behind her eyes and she leaned in to kiss his lips urgently. It was more to comfort herself. The image of a gun being pointed at his face was going to take a while to leave her.
"I'm so sorry." Olivia mumbled. "Are you okay? We need to get some ice for your face."
She grabbed his hand and dragged him back to the kitchen. Huck stored the gun back in his waistband and followed after the couple.
Olivia sat Fitz on a stool and gently pressed a bag of frozen peas to his jaw. He winced a bit at the icy feeling. "Sorry. Is that better?"
Fitz nodded. " you." He reassured her. His jaw was tense with fury however and he kept his eyes trained on Huck who now stood across from him, his face void of remorse. "Now, does someone wanna tell me what the fuck is going on?"
"Yeah. Explain the webcam in your room." Huck spat.
Incredulously, Fitz's eyebrows creased unbelievably tight. "What are you talking about!?" He asked.
Olivia swallowed hard. "He found some cameras hidden in your room." She explained. "But before I could explain to him that you'd never do something like that, he was pointing a gun at your face." Yeah, she was not getting over that no time soon. "Huck, what the actual fuck?!"
Huck shrugged. "I thought you were in danger. I don't apologize for trying to protect you. However I am sorry that I reacted before I had the full story. But you didn't see the look on your face when I asked."
Fitz's head was spinning. He felt like he was in the twilight zone. And none of what he was hearing was making sense.
"So let's get to the bottom of this. What is the full story?" Huck asked.
"Someone broke into Fitz's apartment a couple weeks ago." Olivia explained. "We think it might've been my ex, Edison. He has been stalking me since we broke up and now it seems like his fixation has shifted from me to Fitz."
"Strongly believe." Fitz interjected.
"But we don't know for sure. Nothing was stolen but there was a great deal of damage done. I wanted us to get back to feeling safe here again, so I asked you to step in."
"Tell me everything you know about this Edison guy."
Both Olivia and Fitz took a deep inhale. It was going to be a very long afternoon.
And indeed it was. Olivia told Huck the full story of everything that transpired over the summer leading up until the night of the gala. The tech wiz made a couple phone calls and within the hour, he had a full team installing top of the line security features for Fitz. He planned on installing the same features at Olivia's place even though her apartment building was much more secure with a concierge desk. He wanted to err on the side of caution, especially with all the information he now had.
Both Fitz and Olivia had to protest on laser tripwire and fences. Huck had the whole apartment scanned for bugs and more hidden cameras. Thankfully, they found just the ones that were in Fitz's room. Huck had the feed disabled but he failed to mention to Olivia that he was tracing the signal and he now had an address that confirmed suspicions they all had.
While his team wrapped up, Huck found some down time to communicate with Fitz. The tall brunet was nursing a tumbler of whiskey, deep in thought when Huck sat next to him.
"Whiskey?" Fitz offered.
"Sure."
Fitz got up to get a new glass and poured Huck a generous serving of the amber liquid.
"Cheers." They both said before taking a sip.
It was a few long minutes of silence before either of them spoke again.
"Sorry about earlier." Huck apologized.
Fitz shrugged. "I would've done the same thing."
"Then you understand." Huck nodded. "But you held your own. Something tells me you could've easily turned that glock back at me."
"Oh I definitely could have." Fitz boasted.
They both laughed.
"I traced that feed and I have an address."
Understanding washed over Fitz at the new information. His anger simmered under his calm and collected appearance and he fought against the little voice in his head telling him to get that address from Huck and go over there to break every vertebrae in Edison's spine.
But he couldn't do so because Olivia loved him. Olivia thought of him as a good man. One who was devoid of darkness and evil within himself and because he wanted Olivia to still look at him with that sparkle she reserves exclusively for him, he scrubbed the thought but he knew complete erasure wouldn't provide him closure.
Edison has been making this personal from the get-go. Fitz didn't care what happened to him.
"You do whatever you have to do." Fitz said.
For reasons Fitz didn't know yet, Huck had proven to have a sense of duty towards Olivia and if Fitz's intuitions were right, he knew there were probably few lines Huck wouldn't cross and that gave him a sense of relief. Justice will prevail. At what cost? He didn't care nor did he want to know.
"Consider it handled."
Three days later, Edison indeed would be handled. At 9:00 pm on Wednesday evening, he came home from work to a shadow sitting in the dark in his living room. A lamp flickered, illuminating light and scaring the shit out of him. Instantly he was on high alert and was plotting an escape in his head. But he never got the chance to fully execute it.
"You won't get very far." The calmness and certainty in his intruder's voice chilled him to the core and sent fear boiling in his veins.
But still. He was a man. This was his home and he'd be damned if he cowered and let himself be robbed or harmed in any way. He pulled out his cellphone to contact the authorities only to find that he had no signal in his apartment. What the hell?
"Now go ahead, ask me why I'm here."
The audacity in the man's tone infuriated Edison and he wasted no time lashing out.
"Who the fuck are you and what are you doing-"
His words died in a blip and almost too suddenly, he felt himself becoming dizzy as a sharp needle shot from a gun protruded the skin at the base of his neck. He fell limply seconds later.
He came to consciousness exactly an hour later but it felt much longer to him. His heart rate began to increase as his brain caught up to the event that led him to being currently strapped completely naked to a chair in some creepy looking dungeon. Under his feet, he felt plastic and could see instruments aligned on a table to his left. He started freaking out.
"It doesn't feel so good to have your safety and privacy violated, does it now?
He flinched at the voice. "Who are you?! Where am I?"
"You're still asking irrelevant questions." Huck stepped into the light and revealed himself. "Hello Edison. I'm a friend of Olivia's and I heard you've been doing some veryyy naughty things."
Edison grimaced. Annoyance replaced the mild fear he felt seconds ago and he wiggled in his seat furiously. "Of course you're another one of her useless goons. She chose to leave me and after all my efforts to get her back, she all but left me to die in a hospital. You tell that bitch I'm gonna come after everything she loves and I won't stop until I watch her choke around my bare hands."
"Come on now, I wouldn't make that threat if I were you. It triggers my instincts to fuck you up." Huck walked towards the table with his tools on it and carefully examined each instrument. "Tell me something Edison, do you enjoy antagonizing the women you used to date? Does it tickle your dick a little?" Huck sighed when he didn't get an answer. "As I understand, you did cheat on her right? So why not just move on?" He picked up a scalpel and ran his thumb carefully and expertly over the sharp blade without drawing blood.
"You don't wanna do this. Contrary to what Olivia may believe, I do love her. And I've respected her wishes to stay away since my accident. I've moved on. I'm not the guy you want." Edison switched strategies. His big personality wasn't gonna get him out of this. So he willed himself to get into the mindset of a victim. After all that's what he was and he was going to use that to his advantage. The slightest chance in vulnerability in this guy and he will strike accordingly. It was doable. He could do it, he told himself.
Huck raised his eyebrows. "You just said you weren't gonna stop until you've killed her and now you love her? I'm a little confused."
Edison struggled to come up with a rebuttal.
"If I'm to understand you've moved on, why did you feel the need to break into her boyfriend's apartment and set up cameras to secretly watch them?"
Edison was careful not to move a muscle for fear that he would accidentally confirm this madman's hunches. He didn't know how he managed to trace the cameras back to him.
"You don't know what you're talking about." He seethed. "I told you I'm not the guy you want. So you need to let me go. I have people who will look for me if I go missing. I have an important job. I'm a running congressman candidate. I'm somebody's son-"
Tired of his lies and his cheap theatrics, Huck snapped, "You should've thought of that before you started fucking with the wrong person!" Huck yelled as he slammed his hand on the table. One of the edges of one of the instruments sliced his palm open and he took a sharp inhale before kicking the table altogether.
After the echoes of his chaos subsided, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his hand to stop the bleeding. It was a deeper cut than he cared for and now he was thoroughly annoyed.
"You know at the CIA, they have come up with some pretty crafty methods of torture over the years? I once saw them peel a guy's skin off piece by piece until he shit himself."
"You're CIA?! If you are, what you are doing is illegal and I will see that a judge throws the whole fucking book at you when I get out of here."
"Ooh, I'm so scared, I'm shaking." Huck mocked. "Like you said earlier, I'm just another one of Olivia's useless goons and quite frankly you talk too much for my liking so shut the fuck up from here on out and be a good little bitch and listen very carefully, okay, Eddie?"
Edison didn't dare say another word.
"Now...I could skin you alive or pluck your teeth out one by one but for someone like you, I don't think physical punishment would work. Cause you see, Eddie, I happen to think you're really special. You're fixated. Physical pain would only fuel you more to spin out of control and I need our session today to have long lasting effects. So I'm thinking…a timeout of sorts? How about a nice little confined stay somewhere you can reflect back on your actions? Maybe eventually forget about the name Olivia Pope entirely?" Huck said suggestively.
"Go fuck yourself!" Edison spat.
Huck shrugged. "Welp. Suit yourself pal." He snapped his fingers and two guys walked into the room from behind Edison. The sound of their heavy footsteps sent Edison into a deep panic. Soon his arms were being taken on each side.
"What do you want us to do?"
"Throw him in the hole." Huck commanded.
"The hole?!" Edison screamed. "Where is that?! Where are you taking me?! You can't do this!"
"I'll see you soon Eddie. I promise." Huck smiled with a wave of his hand.
"Don't do this! Please, I beg of you. I'll stop. I won't ever bother Olivia Pope again. Please!" He implored.
But all of it to no avail because he was being hauled away against his will. He struggled against his restraints but failed to get free.
"I'm gonna fucking kill you all!" His voice was filled with fear and righteous indignation.
It might've been hours, maybe days even before someone came to check on him. He tried to keep count in his head but eventually frustration won over and Edison lost count. The first hour he spent it screaming until his throat became raw. But when it dawned on him that help would not come, he curled into a ball and started weeping until eventually he was lulled to a deep sleep.
That first night felt long because when he woke up, it was still dark and realization came crashing down on him hard. He punched the walls that encased him in this godforsaken hellhole until his knuckles bled crimson. Thoughts of revenge ran rampant in his mind until hunger and dehydration set in and he became susceptible to numbness. Bouts of dizziness washed over him and he pulled his knees to his chest, weeping and praying for rescue.
A version of it would come soon after he ran out of tears. The lid above him opened and light poured over him He stood quickly from his place on the cold cement.
"Hiya partner! Quick pop quiz… who's Olivia Pope?"
"Get me out of here!" He raged.
"I take it you're not having a good time down there?"
"Go fuck yourself!"
"Okay, rude! Your energy is really negative right now and I don't want my chakras mingling with that. No biggie though. I'll just quiz you later. Byeee!"
"No, no! Don't you fucking leave me in here, you cocksucker!"
No one was there to listen.
Darkness enveloped him once again until it started becoming a part of him. Hours and days passed him by again. He shivered and rocked himself back and forth until a scream burst from his chest.
Cracks began to appear on his lips. Soon after the voices in his head started to whisper: end it all you coward. That's the only way out.
But then the lid opened again and he was tossed a small case of water, a sub and some snacks.
"What day is it?" He asked.
"Who's Olivia Pope?"
"Please let me out." He begged.
Darkness denied him that request.
He ate and drank ravenously. He cried for his mother when he felt his confinement closing in on him. He heaved until he puked. He counted in his head to chase away the hallucinations. He repeated the days of the week; stated facts about himself that still tethered him to reality and recited his favorite scriptures and poems.
And in between he plotted a fantasy beheading of Olivia Pope and everything she's ever loved.
Over.
And over.
And over again.
The next time the lid opened again, cold water sprayed him from above and he shielded his eyes and faced the wall as he shivered.
"Boy! You stink like shit." Someone mocked.
He said nothing in return.
"Who's Olivia Pope?"
He looked up finally.
"I… I don't know." He responded faintly. "I don't know."
"Merry Christmas! Boss says you get to go home."