Fitz POV

Since that night on the phone, Olivia and I spoke every night. We talked about everything from our childhood, some of our favorite songs growing up, to what our days were like. Well my days. We didn't speak much about what was going on with her, but I made sure she knew that I was still planning on helping her in any way that I could. She asked about CJ every day and how she was doing, but she knew where I stood on the subject. CJ had no clue that I spoke with Olivia every night, and I didn't want her to. Until Olivia was able to promise me that she was in this and she wouldn't disappear –if she had the choice of course- I couldn't let my daughter become attached to her and vice versa. I had to be stingy with my daughter right now because I had to protect her. It was one day she unexpectedly called me shortly before dinner and asked after a few minutes if she could say hi to CJ. It took everything in me to not hand the phone to my daughter, but I explained to Olivia how I couldn't let that happen right now. She had immediately gone quiet and hung up the phone seconds later. When she called that night, she apologized and let me know that she completely understood and agreed with the boundaries I had set up for my daughter.

"Will you tell me?"

"No." her response was always simple.

"It's been two weeks."

"Why does it matter?"

"It matters. I just want to know."

"But you know I'm safe. I'm alive and talking to you just like I've been doing for the past two weeks. What more do you want from me, Fitz?"

She didn't sound angry, just scared. That's the word I would always use to describe her tone. That is until I got her talking. It usually took about five minutes after being on the phone at night before I would hear a slice of joy in her voice. Joy laced with freedom. But like I said, it was just a slice. The fear would come back just as it had right now.

"I want to come see you. Tomorrow."

She was quiet for a while, probably about a full minute and I could picture her eyes darting around as she pictured and thought of ways my statement could turn out. I remembered that look and knew I'd never forget it.

"Why do you… how could you…"

I knew what she was asking. I also knew that it was her first line of defense.

"My mom's getting CJ from school tomorrow like she does every few weeks, and she'll bring her back Saturday afternoon. It'll just be me here tomorrow and I want to see you."

My voice wasn't forceful but it was direct, and left no room for uncertainty. I learned early on that Olivia needed to hear the strength behind the words that I spoke to her. She didn't need to question what I said and if I spoke confidently to her, she knew the ball was only in her court. My mind was made up and she was left with the decision making.

"Olivia, do you want to see me?" I could be direct, too.

"I do." She whispered.

"I want to see you."

"I don't feel safe going out yet, Fitz. I can't."

"I know that and I wouldn't make you go out when you're not ready."I took a deep breath, rehearsing in my head the plan I had come up with earlier. "Do you trust me?"

"What?"

"Livvie." I spoke the name that seemed to roll off my tongue so easily. Her voice always changed when I called her 'Livvie' and I knew it had some type of affect on her. A positive affect.

"Do you trust me, Livvie?"

"I do."

I was shocked at how easy the words fell from her lips, and I had to stay quiet in order not to say something stupid that would ruin the moment.

"Let me pick you up and bring you here. I know you don't want to be out and I understand, I really do, just let…"

I stopped talking, letting the nerves I had pushed away, somehow resurface and cause me to stumble over my words.

"What Fitz? Just let you what?"

"Let me be there for you. Let me be what I need to be in this. Let me be a man pursuing a beautiful woman that I am really interested in and already so invested in. Let me spend time with you."

Okay, so that wasn't what I had rehearsed but once I stumbled, I couldn't find the words and just winged it. I hope I didn't come off too desperate, but a part of me didn't care. I kinda was desperate and wondered if Olivia had the same affect on every guy that she had on me.

"I trust you."

Her voice was quieter than before and just as I was about to respond, she was rambling off an address. I scrambled to quickly grab a hold of a pen to write it down, not one hundred percent sure that she'd be repeating herself. I only vaguely knew of the area she was staying in. It wasn't super close, maybe a thirty minutes drive depending on traffic, but it wasn't in a horrible part of town, and for that I was grateful.

"Can I pick you up at five?"

"I'll be ready."

Liv POV

I hung up the phone and took in a few deep breaths, controlling the fast pace of my thumping heart. I set the phone on the short dresser next to my bed before sitting down and looking at it. I turned my head sideway before taking my pointer finger and moving it under an inch to the left. That was perfect. My room was perfect. Everything was particularly placed so I would know if anything had been touched. Huck never came in my room, so if anything were to be moved, it would be done by someone that's not supposed to be here. Keeping my room this way- OCD perfect- was the only way to stop the paranoia. Fitz had suggested it to me the day after we'd moved in, and it had done wonders to calm my nerves. He seemed to have all the answers.

It had been two weeks and two days since we moved into the house Huck found for us. Something told me he'd already had it in mind because it had happened all too fast. Once Huck told me about the plan he had and what was really going on, he had left the motel room to "handle some things" and showed up two hours later with keys and a bag of clothes. They were clothes from my home that I had left behind. It wasn't much, just a few things he must've grabbed before coming here. I assumed my apartment was cleaned out by Rowan's men and made to look as though I had really skipped town.

"Olivia."
I found Huck standing at my door and I knew him saying my name was his way of asking what plans I had just made.

"I should have run it by you first to make sure it was okay. It was Fitz." I looked down, unsure of how I should word my next statement. This was new territory for me; especially as of late.

"I know who it was Olivia."

His words were always short.

"Okay. He umm, he wants to see me."

"You said yes?"

I only nodded.

"Olivia," Huck started, shifting from one foot to the other, seeming just as nervous about the topic as I was. "I told you Fitz was one of the good guys. You can trust him, Liv. I trust him and until he gives me a reason to not trust him, then I will."

"Thanks." I didn't know what else to say. Was that even appropriate?

"He wants to date you and I think it's good. It's good for you. He's good for you. I hope you have a good time with him tomorrow. Just let me know if you're not going to be home by ten."

"Huck, it's not anything like that. I just.."

"You deserve to go out. I want you to. Your father, he was a bad guy but he really did want a normal life for you. He tried."

He shifted once more and I knew it was becoming too personal for him.

"Just know that I'm a call away. Just promise me if you're not gonna be back by ten, you call me. No text, I need to hear your voice."

"I promise."

I was nervous. Well that was a given and a new normal for me but this was a different kind of nervous. I had changed my dress three times- there were only three dresses in the bag Huck has packed- and fought between pulling my hair up or leaving it down. I decided to use the straightener Huck picked up last week and kept it straight but with lots of volume and body. I didn't care much about make-up and had never been a big user of it. I had on a bit of mascara I had kept in my purse and a tube of Chapstick to moisturize my lips. Shoes weren't that hard to pick because I didn't have many pairs. Running shoes, a pair of Toms- which I had been wearing to begin with- and a pair of black flip flops rounded out my collection. The flip flops won.

My hands continued to sweat and I jumped hearing the doorbell ring. That had never happened before and the new sound startled me. My first instinct was to run into the next room for Huck, but I quickly remembered the text Fitz sent just minutes before saying he was close. I looked at my reflection in the mirror again and heard the door open followed by muffled voices. I thought they might have just been introducing themselves but as the voices continued to sound, I wondered who was questioning who.

"Don't think, just do it." I spoke to myself.

I grabbed my phone from its usual place and stuffed it into my pocket before heading out into the living room. I noticed him standing in front of Huck and when he heard my footsteps, he turned in my direction with a smile that made my knees weak.

"Keep me posted Liv."

Those were the last words Huck spoke before he sent Fitz a single nod and walked into his bedroom. My eyes followed him until I heard the door click behind him and I turned back to Fitz who was now facing me completely. I fidgeted in place, being unsure of my appearance once again as his eyes never left mine.

"Don't look away." He spoke in his velvety voice.

"What do you.." I trailed off unsure of what to say.

"I'm trying to be a complete gentleman and only look at your face. I can't promise to not avert my eyes, but I'll be on my best behavior tonight. That dress is just….you look beautiful Olivia."

"Thank you."

Fitz POV

I had looked down to go for the keys that I had stuffed in my pocket, and before I could dig my hand into my pocket, Olivia's slender arms were around my waist. I hadn't felt anything that comforting since the last time I had held her and I was completely frozen, savoring the moment. Abandoning the keys, I wrapped my arms around her body, one hand at the back of her neck, while the other went across her back and side. The two of us embraced in silence and I wondered if she wanted to say as much as I did. There were a million things I could've said to her, but I knew it wasn't the time. I didn't want to pull away, but I knew I needed to. I had plans with her for tonight, and in order for us to get started, we needed to get back to my house.

I loosened my grip on her, and she did the same following my lead. I repeated her actions and pushed a tiny chunk of hair behind her ear before digging the keys from my pocket and looking around.

"Do you need to grab anything else, or are you good to go?"

"No, I'm ready when you are."

I noticed her feel for her phone before she sent a timid smile my way and we both walked out of the house. She was nervously looking around to make sure no one was watching them, and although I figured she had nothing to worry about, I put my hand on her back- the middle so I didn't make her uncomfortable- and led her down the driveway and to the passenger's side of my SUV. She quietly thanked me when I opened the door for her and closed it before jogging to the other side and climbing in. When I was finally buckled and glanced at her, I saw the surprise look on her face as she eyed all the windows.

"Was this already…." She trialed off not finishing her sentence.

"I uh, I had them tinted last week." I admitted.

"You did this for me?"

"I did. I didn't want you to be afraid of someone seeing you while we're driving tonight or any other night. I want you to feel as comfortable as possible and this was just something I thought might help."

Her eyes were larger than before and filling with tears that I prayed wouldn't fall. I wasn't sure I could handle her crying and we honestly needed to be heading back to my house.

"No tears." I lifted her hand and kissed it before sitting it back down. "I wanted to do this for you."

She smiled her thanks and wiped at the corners of her eyes as I pulled out of the driveway and down the road. By the time we made it to the second light, her hand had inched towards mine that sat on the middle console and her soft fingers were unexpectedly intertwined with mine.

I couldn't hide the smile on my face if I wanted to. Damn I wanted her to be mine.

The drive to my house was almost excruciating because I was immersed in everything Olivia. Her smell was divine and I wasn't sure if I wanted to lick her neck or simply smell the skin there for the rest of my life, but one of them would surely suffice. I hoped the scent never left my car. The fact that she was so close to me left me panting on the inside. It was more than enough that I was holding her soft, delicate hand and she hadn't taken it back, but with her being this close, I noticed everything about her. Her slender neck was bare, allowing me to see the gorgeous skin that I wanted to kiss so badly. Her other hand tapped along almost silently to the quiet music that played on the radio. She had by far the cutest chin that I had ever seen and I wanted to kiss it desperately, almost as much as I wanted to kiss her pouty mouth. Her mouth was beautiful and every once in a while, I would notice out of the corner of my eye as she licked her lips. Those lips.

Thought patterns like this were on a loop in my head since I had started driving and I was afraid what the next twenty-five minutes might look like. I was already beginning to feel the start of an extreme hard on and didn't want to upset her or embarrass myself. I had to think of something to stop this shit right away.

"CJ… CJ ummm, she really likes the window like this. She calls it our spy car."

My daughter's name definitely did the trick. Thank goodness for that.

Liv POV

My prayers didn't work. For the few minutes that we had been driving, all I did was silently pray that he wouldn't say anything. I knew it was farfetched, but I could take him talking. His voice literally made me want to have sex with him and if I even added in his other qualities- hair, eyes, the way he smelled, his smile, his tall frame, and the type of father he was- I knew it was a goner. I hadn't had sex in… well a long time and promised I wouldn't do it again until I found someone that actually loved me and was worthy of who I was as a person. I might have been unsure about whom I was at the moment, but I knew that without this mess following me around, that I was worth something. Fitz helped me see that. The words he had spoken to me the past two weeks were ones of reassurance and encouragement, letting me know that no matter what was going on, that I was worth a lot. I wasn't a hassle or burden and it was slowly being drilled into my brain and I was believing it. It still didn't mean that I could sleep with him just because I wanted to. I had to have control. I tried having control and it was working until he opened his damn mouth.

"That's cute. How is she doing?"

I wasn't sure if he would say much, but I did want to know. I knew his guard was still up some when it came to her. I didn't blame Fitz and was glad he had set boundaries. She was so easy to love and I knew we'd both be attached to each other and that wasn't a good thing.

"She's great. Gave me a hard time this morning about what she wanted to wear. She usually does pretty good, but has her moments when she refuses the uniform for a solid ten minutes."

I laughed and we talked a bit more before allowing the radio to fill the silence. We arrived at his house at a quarter till six and once the garage was closed, he opened the door for me and we made our way inside. I could smell something delicious and before I could ask what it was, Fitz was rushing to the stove to check on something.

"Yes!" I heard him cheer and wondered what had gotten him so excited. He turned to look at me wearing a big smile on his face as he took the glass pan out.

"I've never used the cook timer that automatically shuts the oven off when the timer is done, so I wasn't sure if it would work."

"Did it?" I asked loving how excited he was.

"Yep, it did. I wasn't so sure if I would come back to a burned down house or not."

He chuckled and I widened my eyes at his confession.

"You came to pick me up and left your oven on without knowing if it would turn off or not? Fitz that's insane."

I couldn't help but laugh along with him at the absurdity, but I found it amazing that he would do such a thing.

"I had to let this finish cooking and be piping hot by the time we got here. Alright, so for dinner we are having one of the few dishes I actually know how to cook. It's nothing fancy, just chicken, but it's a slow cooked, parmesan crusted chicken that is juicy and tender and perfect. Also there's garlic mashed potatoes, and it's not smooth but lumpy. Crap do you prefer it smooth? CJ says it reminds her of baby food and will only eat potatoes that have chunks."

"No, I prefer them that way too. CJ is right, smooth potatoes reminds you of eating baby food." I laughed imagining her little face.

"Good, and lastly I have salad."

"It really sounds delicious Fitz. You didn't have to go through so much trouble."

"It was no trouble at all Liv. I wanted to do this and I've been looking forward to it."

I smiled a thank you and sat my bag down before washing my hands at the sink.

"Can I help you with anything? Plates? Glasses?"

"Actually everything is set up already. If you just wanna grab the tea from the fridge. I wasn't sure what you wanted to drink. There's tea, wine, and beer so it's up to you. I'll just have tea for now."

I nodded and grabbed the pitcher of tea from the fridge before moving towards the dining room table. I stopped noticing that bare table and wondered if he only thought he had set everything out.

"Liv can you grab the door please?"

I turned to see him wearing oven mitts and holding the dish of chicken at the back door and sent him a confusing look before complying and walking to the door.

"Why are you taking it..." I began to ask while opening the door, but stopped mid sentence when I looked outside. "Fitz."

I was in awe. He knew that besides going from his house to meet Huck, the motel to the new home we were in, and from there to here tonight, that was the only time I had gone outside and I was miserable. I didn't feel comfortable knowing people could possibly see me, and he took it upon himself to take care of that problem. The patio had a patterned wooden ceiling that allowed natural light in without being overbearing but the sides that were open were now covered with dark drapes hanging- tastefully, I might add- on each side giving us plenty of privacy. Unless someone was overhead in a helicopter, there was no way they'd be able to see either of us. It was so beautiful outside in the evening and I had been waiting for the day I could enjoy it again.

I heard him continue to move around as he allowed me to have this moment alone. I didn't do anything except fold my arms and look up at the sky which seemed even more beautiful as the sun set and stars slowly began to appear. It was a refreshing gift, one of many I had received from this man I had barely met two and a half weeks ago. For some reason I couldn't picture tomorrow without him in it. With the exception of fear, and I guess Huck, Fitz had become the one constant in my life lately. The positive constant.

When he closed the door behind him, I knew everything was ready for us to eat. I stopped him before he could walk past me and pulled him into a quick embrace. I released him with a soft kiss on his jaw before I took my seat at the table and waited for him to do the same.

Dinner went well and I praised him on his cooking skills, making him promise to cook all of his specialty meals for me and he agreed. Even though our fridge was fully stocked, I hadn't had much of an appetite, so I ate until I was stuffed. He ate two serving of everything and I teased him about being greedy, but he brushed it off saying he had to give his body the calories to burn off when he ran. That statement alone cause me to picture him shirtless and running. I grabbed my glass and closed my eyes while taking a few sips. While my eyes were closed, I let my mind go there. Taunt muscles, glistening abs, hair a sweaty wind-blown mess and his legs. I was a sucker for legs and asses. Most of my friends- my former friends I guess- found it comical, but there was nothing better than a tall man with great legs and a great ass.

Whew, get yourself together Liv, he's watching you!

I sat my drink down and wondered if he could tell that my cheeks were flushed as he eyed me playfully. It was almost as if he knew I was having impure thoughts about him. He probably did and somehow, I didn't really care. I swear I had never been like this with anyone else. He had a way of making me feel….. different. I liked this kind of different.

"Alright, are you up for dessert?"

My eyes widened, having no idea that he had dessert planned, and my brain worked overtime trying to figure out how to decline something he'd obviously spent time preparing for me.

"I don't know if I have the room for it, but if you went through all the trouble…"

I trailed off when I noticed him put a finger up to stop me, and waited while he disappeared into the house. When he came back out with his hands behind his back, I eyed him skeptically wondering what he had planned.

"I don't think you can turn this down, Livvie."

There was that name again, giving me butterflies.

He closed the gap between us, not completely in my person space, and brought his hands in between us revealing a tub of Rocky Road ice cream and two large spoons. I smiled at him and suddenly I wasn't full anymore.

The breeze had picked up a little, but I couldn't imagine pulling myself away from the crook of his arm where I had been nestled for the past fifteen minutes. We sat on the porch swing together with a towel across our laps and the tub of ice cream on top. He had made the decision to eat on the swing and I took it upon myself to move in closer to him until he automatically wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him. I tried to completely clear my mind and just be in the moment with him and the only way to do that was to be as natural as possible. It was during dessert that I realized how much everything involving Fitz felt so natural to me. Almost like this is where I belonged.

Fitz POV

"For someone that claimed to be so full, you surely can eat."

I looked down as soon as her head popped up from my shoulder, her mouth wide open in surprise.

Shit! That wasn't an appropriate thing to say to a woman. Especially one you have quite possibly the biggest crush ever on!

Get your shit together, Fitz!

"I mean.. not like that, I'm just… dammit." I sighed bringing my arm from around her and sitting up. "I'm not used to this; flirting or something I don't know. I just meant that you must like the ice cream."

She laughed at me and shook her head before reaching for my arm and pulling it back around her shoulder. I breathed a sigh of relief and got comfortable again.

"You're right though, I do love it. How did you know to get this kind?"

"I might have overheard you telling CJ that it was your favorite." I think I might have blushed admitting that, but didn't care.

"So you're a good cook and you eavesdrop? What else should I know about you?"

"Nope, you know mostly everything about me and I haven't decided if that's a good thing or not. Let's get back to you. Finish telling me about the child life stuff."

"Well, I'll tell you some of the good stories. So we always do a camp in the summer for kids six through fifteen and I of course stayed with my little ones. But I'd always sneak in a few five year olds if I knew they could handle it and we'd take them to a camp ground type of place that's like an hour long drive away and we'd go fishing and do crafts and swim and just have a big camp day with them like typical kids got to do during the summer."

"That's sounds really amazing. Is there any concern about them getting sick or getting hurt?"

"Well yea, there's always that concern but we make sure that they're healthy enough to go and it's all CLS's, nurses, aides and a doctor that all the kids are used to seeing, so that's covered but we definitely have all we would need on hand. It's just seeing them be normal even it just for a day, playing with kids just like them and they aren't the odd one out that doesn't have hair or bruises from their port access. They are just kids having fun. It's the best part of my job."

Her voice trailed off at the end and I felt her get heavier against my body. Her mood had completely change and I secretly loved that I could tell.

"It was the best part of my job."

The warning signs were there; a sniff and a shiver that shook her body. Before I knew it, wet tears had hit my shirt as she cried. Hard.

"I'll never have that life again. After everything that's happened, I won't be able to be that person again. It was everything to me, it was all I had and now it's just gone. It was snatched away and I'm so angry and hurt because of it. I have no way of finding out if my patients, my kids are okay or sick or anything and it breaks my heart on a daily basis. Every second, of every minute, of every hour I'm thinking of them and imagining what I'd be doing with them if I were there. I can't let it go. That was all I had."

I moved everything from our laps and turned so I was facing her. I cupped her face as gently as I could, swiping my thumbs over her tear-stained face before swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Now you have me. I know things are difficult and we've disregarded everything else and pretended there aren't some heavy things to deal with, but Livvie, I'm here. If you let me, I'm not going anywhere. I promise you. I have ways to help you and I want to but you have to let me. I can't be there for you if you don't let me."

"I've never let anyone be there for me. There's never been anyone. I don't know how to let anyone in. I barely know how to trust anyone."

She was being honest and didn't look away as she spoke freely to me and I appreciated that. I appreciated it a lot.

"Just let me in."

She nodded her head shyly, but that was all I needed. I leaned forward and hugged her tightly to my chest, kissing her hair and telling her softly that it would be okay. I didn't know what the future held, but I know it had to involve her in my life. In our lives. When she finally pulled away, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to her forehead, letting them linger longer than I anticipated. She was just so soft, I couldn't help myself. Feeling her hands move against my back only left me encouraged, and my lips moved to kiss between her eyes, then her nose. When she didn't pull away, I took that as a sign that she wanted this as much as I did, and my lips fell against hers, sending a jolt through my body. It had been too long and my member jumped, begging for attention.

Our lips parted at the same time, and I was able to taste her beautiful mouth for a few moments before we both pulled away breathless.

"Stay."

She looked surprised at my request and moved from my embrace and towards the door that led to the kitchen.

Dammit! I knew it was too soon.

I walked in behind her, fully planning on groveling and apologizing for making such a bold move, but stopped when I saw her with a phone to her ear, speaking.

"I'm okay Huck. I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to stay tonight.