AN: Thank you all for your well-wishes. I'm battling back. I'm out of the hospital, back at home, and my lungs feel much lighter. Enjoy this short piece I wrote while on a good deal of cough medicine. It's short but I can only get so much done at the moment. I do hope you enjoy it. I like writing this soft piece in between breaks from my other.

The muffled sounds of Maze and Frankie Beverly filled the cramped coat closet of the small hall where Maya and Elijah Pope celebrated their new (rather second) marriage. In between breathy moans, Olivia found herself whispering the lyrics to Before I Let Go. Her brain only half-zoned in on the song, vaguely realizing that she and Fitz were missing the Electric Slide. Her father was probably looking for her across the room by now, ready to mouth just how happy his only daughter and only child made him. Too bad she wasn't there. Nope. She and Fitz were busy.

They'd snuck away in between meal courses, unable to stifle the ache they had for one another. Now here they were, quite literally wrapped up in each other. Olivia's ankles were locked around Fitz's ass while he was buried balls deep inside of her. The floor-length chiffon emerald maid of honor dress she wore was hiked up to her waist, though it still dragged along the floor, and Fitz's tux was bunched up around his knees.

"I gotta make sure I'm right before I let gooo…" Olivia whispered.

"Are you singing?" Fitz asked. His lips brushed against Olivia's chin and she smiled, breath hitching as he shifted against her.

"It's one of my favorites…" she said, a smile cascaded across her face. She stretched against him, angling up to draw his bottom lip between her teeth.

"Would — fuck — you — damn you're so wet — rather be dancing? I can stop."

A growl boiled deep in her belly. "You wouldn't."

He stopped. A wicked grin tugged his lips upward, prompting Olivia to roll her eyes. nudged Fitz's ass with her heels, hoping he'd get the hint to keep moving. As she did, a lone coat-hanger jabbed her in the back, and she winced. "Ouch."

"You okay?" Fitz asked.

"Just a coat hanger. Maybe next time we decide on a quick fuck, maybe we should find somewhere that isn't so crowded." Olivia said. He jostled her in place, away from the coat rack. His hands tightened on her ass. Olivia's eyes slipped closed, and she let out a soft sigh. "Keep — fuck — going."

"I planned to," Fitz grunted.

Olivia couldn't hold back an eye roll. Why was she in love with this man? He was insufferable. Her mind didn't get to ponder long. Before she knew it, her back was pressed against the back wall of the closet. Her knees rested in the crook of his elbows. Fitz pounded her, hard. She couldn't stop the cries that escaped from her lips. His pace was frantic, relentless, and all-consuming. She could feel her orgasm begin to bud and knew he was close, too. Through fluttering eyelashes, she could see the tips of his ears were bright red and the grip he had on her ass tightened. All tell-tale signs that he was close.

"You keep screaming, and they'll hear us," Fitz growled. He hit a particularly sensitive spot and Olivia clawed at the lapels of his jacket in search of something to hold onto.

"Maybe you should — fuck — put something — me — in my mouth…" Olivia taunted. Her words broke off as her body began to tingle. She felt like she was falling forward, headfirst into a free fall.

"Remember when you were afraid to talk dirty to me?" He teased. His voice was thick with the promise of his approaching orgasm. Olivia could feel him pulse inside of her. How he was even still speaking, let alone teasing her, was a miracle.

"Just shut up and fuck me."

Fitz obliged. Before Olivia knew it, every inch of her tingled. Her orgasm hit her. It washed over her in waves and he wasn't far behind. Warmth flooded Olivia's core. Seconds later, they were both in a heap on the floor. Fitz slipped out of her. He cradled her head, hovering above her, their foreheads touching. A sheen of sweat covered their bodies.

For the first time since they'd snuck away, Olivia took in what she could see of their surroundings. The only source of light they had was the dim bulb above them.

"Everyone's coats are going to smell like us…" she commented. Margaret's red wool coat caught her eye. The thought of Fitz's mother walked around wearing their scent caused Olivia to blush. Both of their families already knew far too much about their sex lives.

"At least we didn't get caught this time." He touched a frizzy curl stuck to the side of her face.

"If you don't get off of me, we might." She reached up, touching the tip of his left ear. "Though your ears are as bright as Rudolph's nose."

"Hush," he chided. He slipped out of her and Olivia immediately felt his absence. When they were together, she felt whole.

"Get off of me. You've got me all sticky. I need to go clean up." She pushed at his chest.

"I like when you're covered in me. That way I know no one will try to talk to you. They'll know you're mine."

She pushed at him again. "That's disgusting. Go…"

They shared a small smile and then parted.

/

"Look who decided to come up for air," Maya said.

Olivia lifted her head as she exited the bathroom stall to find her mother standing at the vanity sinks. Her mother looked her up and down, prompting a self-conscious Olivia to smooth out the front of her dress. She'd tried her hardest to prim and prep herself back into place but there were telltale signs of Fitz on every inch of her. Hickeys lined her neck, her lips were still swollen, and her dress was wrinkled.

"I don't know what you're talking about but why aren't you out there with dad?" Olivia tried to change the subject as she headed for the sink. She turned on the water, eyes catching the mirror. Maya stared straight at her with an eyebrow raised. "I don't!"

Maya shook her head and chuckled. "Panty lines."

Olivia titled her head, confused. "What?"

"You've been sporting a panty line all day. Now it's gone. I'm guessing your underwear are now in Fitz's pocket."

Olivia's jaw near dropped to the floor. She glanced down at herself, wondering which part of her mother's statement she should've been more horrified by; the fact that she'd been walking around with horrendous panty lines all day; including down an aisle, or the fact that her mother could see she'd just had sex. She opened her mouth to reply but promptly closed it. There was nothing that she could think to say to defend herself.

"That's what I thought." Maya grinned at her reflection and Olivia rolled her eyes. "You know, I was a year younger than you when your dad and I got married the first time around. We thought we knew everything and we were so crazy about each other."

Olivia nodded. It wasn't often that Maya was this open. Usually, it was like plucking needles from a porcupine. Olivia never quite knew why her parents had split nor how they'd fallen back together. "What happened between you and dad?"

Maya brushed a heat-styled curl behind her ear and smoothed over the classic, A-line, lace bodice wedding dress. She and Eli had gotten re-married in a small, intimate affair. They'd originally planned on going to City Hall but Olivia had talked them out of it. "We didn't let ourselves grown outside of one another. I got lost in him and then you came along."

A pang of guilt reverberated in Olivia's gut. "I guess I didn't help any…"

"You didn't hurt anything either. We were just too young." Maya responded. "Young and overwhelmed."

"But you found your way back to each other."

"We did. It just took a decade and some change. I don't want that to happen to you," Maya said.

Olivia nodded, realizing what her mother was pointing at with this conversation. It always came back to her and Fitz. Since telling her mother about Fitz, Maya's skepticism was more than apparent. Olivia knew that her mother didn't openly disapprove of her relationship with Fitz, but unlike Margaret, Maya worried about Olivia getting too far in over her head.

"Fitz and I aren't getting married any time soon, mom. We're not you and dad, either. You don't have to worry about us," Olivia assured her mother. "I think we should get back out there. Your groom is probably looking for you."

"So is your Prince Charming. Can you two keep your hands off of each other long enough to enjoy a slow dance?"

Heat lit up Olivia's face and she nodded.

/

Olivia rested her head on Fitz's shoulder. The soft sounds of Norah Jones singing Come Away With Me filled the dance floor. She cracked an eye open to glance across the fance floor. There were her parents, holding each other tight. Olivia smiled.

"Your parents are cute," Fitz whispered against her forehead.

"They are," Olivia agreed. She could stay like this forever, locked in each others' arms. "My mom knows what we did."

"How?" Fitz asked. He took a brief step back to stare incredulously at Olivia.

"My dress, the hickeys, my underwear — or rather lack of — take a pick."

Fitz chuckled. "We've gotta get better at cover our tracks."

Olivia didn't respond, instead, she closed her eyes and let Norah Jones's voice take her away. She felt as if she were riding on a cloud, thousands of miles in the air and unwilling to come down. As the song slowed to an end, Fitz pulled away. He gave her one of his infamous crooked smiles and Olivia felt her knees go weak.

"What?" she asked. Her eyes searched his.

"I have something to ask you…"

"Okay. Ask awa—"

Fitz dropped to his knees and slipped a hand into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a ring box and Olivia's heart nearly stopped.

"Fitz, what are you doing?" Olivia asked. The lights in the hall came up, though not all the way; just enough to shower the room in a warm glow. Seconds later, the music stopped, too. Olivia looked at him and then around the room to see everyone starring at them, including both sets of their parents.

"Olivia Carolyn Pope, will you marry me?" He opened the box.

Olivia's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. The ring was white gold, a cadenza halo diamond ring. It had to be at least two carats. Round cut. Premiere clarity. Tears sprung up to her eyes and she couldn't hide her surprise. It was ridiculous. She knew this moment was going to come. Eventually. Yet somehow, though, it still managed to knock the air out of her lungs.

"Livvie?" Fitz spoke. "Liv…"

Finally, she found her voice. "Yes. The answer is yes!"

"Yes?" Fitz repeated. He climbed to his knees. "Yes?"

"Yes!"

The ring box slammed closed and suddenly Olivia was being spun in circles, feet dangling off the ground. The hall erupted with applause. Somewhere, Olivia knew her mom was forcing a tight, half-smile on her face. Maya was going to be disappointed in her, but right now, Olivia couldn't care.

Fitz stopped. Once more the floor was beneath Olivia's feet. They kissed each other, hard. The room fell away. It was just them.

Olivia was the first to pull away. "I love you."

"I love you, too."