Olivia's POV

"So," I graze my finger on Fitz's cheek and he smiles. "You wanna tell me why you refused the job?"

Fitz laughs nervously. "Honestly? Not really."

I lift myself up so I'm not laying on his stomach anymore. I cross my legs on the mattress and rest my hands on his chest. We've been camped out in the master bedroom for the past few hours, just getting drunk on the dozen of margarita cans I bought on Connecticut Avenue this morning. Or, he is. No matter how much Fitz denies it, he's a lightweight. I don't mind though. I think it's cute. I think he's cute.

Am I still bummed that he won't let Karen see Mellie? Hell yes. But that's just one of the many things we disagree on. And, in the end, it's his decision. I don't understand it but I know he's doing what he thinks is best for Karen and I respect the hell out of that.

After taking another sip from my can, I lean over and curl my fingers through his wavy hair. I'm not exactly angry that he refused the job. I'm just confused. "I thought it was what you wanted, Fitz."

Fitz swallows before sighing. The only reason I'm badgering him about this now is because I'm not sure he'll admit the whole truth to me if he was sober. "I thought I wanted it, Liv. But in the end, I realized I wanted you and the girls more."

"That doesn't make sense," I sigh, cupping the side of his face with my hand. "You could have taken the job and still spent time with us."

"No," Fitz argues, frowning. "Liv, trust me. It's the same that happened when I was running for Governor. You think you have control over your time distribution, your hours, and then suddenly, you're missing your daughter's sixth birthday. I don't ever want to be put in that position again. So yeah, the job seemed cool, but it's not worth it. You guys are. And I would choose you any day."

I can't help but smile. I know now that he left on his own terms, not out of obligation. And that makes me feel so much better. I lean over and kiss him. He kisses back before pulling away and grinning. "Are you trying to take advantage of me again?"

I laugh and pull back. "Maybe a little." He laughs too and I smile. "So, Fitz, when are you taking me on that day you promised?"

"The date? The one I said I would take you on before you contacted the mother of my child?" Fitz jokes and laughs. I roll my eyes but he just goes on laughing. "That one?"

I push his chest. "Shut up."

"Liv," he catches his breath after his rigorous laughing and smiles at me. "Of course I'm taking you on that date. Wherever and whenever you want."

"Really?" I ask and he nods. "You're not saying that because you're completely wasted?"

Fitz rolls his eyes. "I'm not that drunk. And if I am, you're to blame. Seriously, Liv, if I wake up naked and find that you've taken advantage of me, I'm calling the cops."

"You are?" I laugh and he nods with a dead ass serious face."You are?"

"I'm serious," he jokes, finally grinning. "Like, you better call up your associates at OPA and find your ass a defense lawyer."

I can't stop laughing and soon, neither can he. We're just a bunch of idiots. A bunch of drunk idiots who are collapsed on their backs, laughing so hard at absolutely nothing that there are tears coming out of our eyes.

Have I mentioned just how much I love him? I know that doesn't even begin to excuse my behavior these past few days, hell, these past few weeks. I have royally messed up, starting from four years ago, when I had Savannah and decided to keep her from him. Then, I brought her into his life at a very pivotal time, where he needed anything but that. I slept with him and didn't sign the divorce papers, putting him on a pedestal. And then I really fucked up and made the stupid choice to contact Mellie. I don't even know why I did that. I guess it's because I'm really impulsive when it comes to those I love and I really love Karen. But I also love Fitz. And I am so sorry for everything.

"Livvy," Fitz pants through chuckles. He reaches next to him and holds my hand. "Liv..."

"What?" I giggle, sitting upright, my hand still in his.

Fitz stops laughing and looks at me seriously. He squeezes my hand. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes," I reply, rather nervously since I don't think I have ever witnessed the look Fitz is giving me right now. Don't get me wrong - it's a warm look. His eyes are warm and he's looking at me with this cute, half smile but there is something in the way he's just looking at me that's serious. "What is it, Fitz?"

"Will you marry me?"

I laugh. I can't help it. Leaning in to kiss his cheek, I whisper, "You're so drunk."

"No," Fitz protests, holding my arm and pulling me into his lap as he sits up. He wraps his arms tightly around my waist. "I'm so serious. Marry me."

"Fitz," I link my arms around his neck and watch him smile. "Stop talking."

"Livvy," Fitz whines. "Seriously. Not right now, but in the future. You want to marry me...don't you?"

"What I want," I begin. "Is to have this conversation another time. Preferably when you're not intoxicated."

Fitz laughs softly. "Okay. Okay. But Liv...I'm not asking you because I'm drunk. When we talk about this again, I'm still gonna wanna marry you. I'm always gonna wanna marry you."

I smile again. "We'll see."

Fitz's POV

"I said I would take you on a date," I begin as Liv shakes her head. "I wanna own up to that."

"This is different," she replies.

I seriously had every intention of taking Livvy on a date tonight. Whenever I'm drunk, I'm not really drunk if that makes sense. I mean, my actions are a little bit impaired but I always remember everything when I'm sober. And yesterday, I specifically remember promising Livvy a date. I also remember asking for her hand in marriage but I think it's better if she thinks that that was an intoxicated act. It's not that I don't want to marry her, because I seriously do. If she asked me to get married right now, I would drive our asses to the chapel right now. But that's not Liv and I don't want to pressure her into anything.

A couple of minutes ago, we were getting ready to leave the house and can I just say we looked good? Like, NYC power couple good. I mean, i'm in a white dress shirt with black pants, which is pretty normal work attire for me. But Liv, on the other hand, looks amazing. She's in a black lace dress that's half sleeves and stops at her knees and is right around the waist. She looks so stunning in it that it's unbelievable. She doesn't even know how beautiful she is. I mean, she's confident but she's modest in a way. She's very classy. I was getting the keys and Karen came downstairs. Karen and I, by the way, are not on good terms, which is pretty normal for these past few weeks.

Anyway, Karen came downstairs and she wasn't looking so good so Olivia checked her temp and it's 103, which scared the hell out of me.

Needless to say, I didn't feel right leaving her with Lena, especially since she's already in a bad mood. I don't think whisking off to a fancy restaurant while my daughter is throwing up is the best idea. And it's not because I don't want to go on the date - I would like nothing more than to spend the time with Livvy. As amazing as our relationship is, it's unconventional and difficult and even if it's always gonna be that way, a date night is something I've been looking forward to. Anyway, that doesn't matter now. I feel bad about it but I don't want to go knowing Karen is sick.

"I'm sorry," I repeat, putting the keys on the counter.

"Stop saying that," Liv protests, folding her arms. "Seriously, Fitz. I wouldn't feel right going out knowing that Karen was sick and she needed her dad."

I smile a little. "Even if she hates me?"

"Even if she hates you," Liv laughs. "It's seriously okay. Go see what she needs."

I smile wider. Leaning in to kiss her cheek, I whisper, "This is not how I imagined tonight."

She laughs. "A month ago, I never imagined I would be here, yet here I am. It's okay, Fitz. Be with your daughter."

X

"Can I come in?" I ask, already halfway into the dimly lit room.

Karen doesn't look up. She's laying facedown on a mountain of pillows, her sand colored, long, wavy hair sprawling in a hundred directions. She's turned halfway to the side, her knees up to her chest.

"Karen," I say softly, hovering over half unpacked boxes and suitcases across the lilac carpeted floor. Instead of sitting the on bed, I opt for bending down on my knees right next to it, resting my elbows on it. It's only until I'm right next to her that I realize she's got earphones plugged in under her mountains of long hair. I really carefully take them out, praying not to get attacked in the process. "Karen?"

She looks up at me, blinking her light blue eyes. They're puffed up and red, but not from crying. She looks really sick and that makes my heart break. Karen, of course, doesn't care. She looks at me icily and says, "I don't want to talk to you."

"I know," I reply, sighing. I don't know what else to say. I'm sorry for hurting her feelings - I obviously don't like seeing her upset. But in the end, her being protected is my priority. That goes before anything else. So even if she's mad at me, I won't apologize for that. "I know you don't want to talk to me, Karen, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of yourself. Are you cold? I could turn up the heat in the house. You hungry? Liv can make you something...anything. Soup?"

Karen stares at me, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "Liv doesn't cook."

That makes me laugh. "Okay...but Lena can make you something. Just say the word."

Karen looks at me as if that's the craziest thing I've ever said. Finally, she sniffs. "Why are you being so nice to me? These past couple of weeks...I've been horrible to you."

"I guess," I press my lips together. "The truth is, Karen, that's what family is about. I'm always gonna be here for you. In your good times, in your bad. And when you finally decide to stop hating me, I'm still gonna be here. By your side."

"Why?" Karen demands.

I look at her. I don't know any other way to explain it. The love I have for her, Savannah and Livvy is so unconditional. I would do anything for these girls. "Because I love you."

Karen just stares at me in awe, like what I said was so ridiculous. Finally, she pulls her blanket up to her chin. "I could never hate you, Dad."

"I'm so happy to hear that," I tell her honestly. I lean over and kiss her cheek. I know that this is not over - I know she's still pissed and she has a right to be. We're always going to fight, argue and disagree. But as of right now, we're okay. It's okay. "Now, do you need anything?"

"I need to ask you something," she replies. She pauses before she continues and when she does, her voice is breaking. "Can you, um, not be mad at Liv? Because she was just trying to help me, you know...I was practically asking her. And I know you were pretty angry. And she was sad. But it's not her fault. It's not yours either, I guess. But it's really not her fault. And if you blame her, I'll feel really bad. Because, Dad? Liv is the best friend I've had in a really long time. And...I don't want her to leave."

I look at Karen. She's not the type of girl to spill out all her feelings, even though she wears her heart on her sleeve. So her saying this really puts things into perspective. I was so pissed off yesterday. I thought - and still think - Liv crossed a huge line. Liv has...really not made these past few weeks easy. And she's made a shit ton of mistakes that it's hard to keep track of them. But no matter what happens, I know that Livvy doesn't do anything with the intention to hurt people. If Karen is saying this, telling me this, it means a lot. It's a little more complicated than her eleven year old mind knows, but in the grand scheme of things, she's right.

"Karen," I smile at her. "Liv's not going anywhere."

"Good," Karen smiles genuinely at that. "Are you guys...are you guys gonna get married?"

I chuckle nervously. I knew this was coming, I just didn't know it would be this soon. Needless to say, I'd like to discuss this with Livvy before Karen. "Right now, Karen, we're just focusing on what's best for you and Savannah."

Karen nods slowly, but I can tell she thinks that's the lamest answer in the world. "But...you wanna marry her, right? Like, you like her and everything?"

"Yes, I like her and everything," I grin. "What about you? Do you like her?"

"Yeah," Karen admits. "I do. She's really pretty and she's nice. She's not annoying, like your other girlfriends. If you guys got married...like, would she be my new mom?"

"I don't know Kar," I get off my knees and sit next to her on the bed. "We don't have to talk about this right now. I'm happy you like her and yeah, she's not going anywhere. But we're taking it one day at a time right now, you know?"

"I guess," Karen shrugs, accepting that answer.

I put the back of my hand on her forehead. It's still really warm but if she's sitting up, talking to me, she can't feel that crappy. "Are you tired? Do you want to stay up?"

"Yeah," Karen shifts and swings her legs to the edge of the bed. She takes her earphones and wraps them around her phone. "I kinda wanna watch a movie or something."

"A movie sounds good," I tell her, helping her off the bed. We walk out of her room and I take a detour to my own. "Go downstairs and pick one out, okay? Ask Savannah and Liv if they wanna watch too."

When I'm in my room, i take a pair of Nike sweatpants and a T-shirt from a half unpacked box and change into that. I also grab a pair of pajama shorts and one of my hoodies for Livvy, since I'm guessing she wouldn't be comfortable watching a movie in a dress and heels.

The thing is, I really do feel bad about Karen not being able to see Mellie. I have my reasons for keeping Mellie away all these years but the more I think about it, the more I realize that Karen is really mature. She's had to be, to go through all the crap she has in these past couple of years. The only reason I'm keeping Mellie away is because I don't want Karen being disappointed at just how uncaring her mother is. I don't want her idealistic image of her destroyed. Or I don't want Karen to get too attached, just to find out that Mellie will leave again. But the more I think about it, the more I remember how even though Mellie can be reckless, Karen never is. If anything, she's guarded. So I guess that's a good thing.

When I'm done, I go to the first floor of the house. I'm surprised to find Liv, already there, connecting her iPhone to the TV with an HDMI cord. The screen flashes to Netflix. Savannah and Karen are getting comfortable on the couch.

"Daddy," Savannah calls from the couch, pulling on my wrist.

I smile, bending down to kiss her cheek. It's been a couple days since she started calling me that and it just makes my day whenever I hear it.

When Savannah finally releases her grip on my hand, I walk up behind Liv and gently touch her waist. "Livvy?"

She jumps a little before turning around. I guess she didn't hear me come in.

She rests her arms on my shoulders casually. "What's up?"

"As gorgeous as you look in this dress," I grin and hold up the hoodie and pair of shorts I'm carrying with me. "I thought you might wanna change into these. That is, if you're staying with us and watching the movie."

"Of course I'm staying and watching with you," she takes the clothes from me, then grins. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Daddy?" Savannah calls from the couch.

I turn to face her. I still can't get over her calling me that. It makes me smile every time. "Yes, Anna?"

"Can you, make, um," Savannah rubs her eyes. It's really late for her to be staying up but I have a hard time saying 'no' to her and I have a feeling Liv does too. "Can you make popcorn?"

I turn to Livvy. "How can I say no to that?" Livvy shrugs, as if she doesn't know either. I smile again and turn to Savannah. "Of course, baby. Just give me a minute."

Before I follow Liv upstairs, I settle the remote in Karen's hand. "You and Savannah agree on something, okay? Keep it PG."

X

"Hey."

I look up from the plastic wrap I tore from the popcorn packet and see Liv coming into the kitchen. She's wearing my navy blue CALIFORNIA hoodie with light grey pajama shorts that have white drawstrings. The shorts are appropriate and everything - like they're okay around the girls. But can I just say she looks hot? The shorts are mid thigh and they show off her legs - which are really amazing legs. She literally has the body of a twenty year old. That, and she doesn't even need to try to look sexy or anything. She just automatically does, in everything she wears.

"Hey," I reply, forcing my eyes off her body and on to the microwave, where I toss the packet in. I press the POPCORN button and turn back, leaning on the counter. "You look nice."

"I always look nice," Liv smirks, taking an M&M from the bowl we keep on the kitchen island. She rolls in her palm before eating it.

I smile at her. "Liv...about tonight-"

"Stop it," she holds up her hand seriously. "I'm so serious, Fitz, shut up. If you try to apologize to me one more time, I'm gonna go ballistic and I really will be looking for a defense lawyer because I'd have broken your arm."

I laugh. "But seriously, Liv, I was looking forward to going out tonight."

"So was I," Liv admits. "But I think eating popcorn with you and the girls beats some lousy five star restaurant...don't you?"

"I do," I smile. The microwave starts beeping, indicating that the popcorn is done. I open it and am about to open in when Liv comes up in front of me and takes it from my hands. I wrap my arms around her waist. "So...what happens now?"

She opens the popcorn and carefully takes out a hot piece, blows on it and then pops it in her mouth. She looks up at me. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," I hold her tighter. "I'm here with you. The girls are here, they're together. We're all together. I mean, I'm unemployed and confused and blacklisted from everything in this town. But I love it. And I love you. So we're all here now. After five years. We're here. What happens now?"

Liv looks at me, smiling through her beautiful brown eyes. "Whatever we want."

X

AN: I hope you guys liked this chapter. The end was admittedly very dramatic, only because I'm getting sentimental. I miss Scandal so much and September can't come soon enough.

Anyways, since the story is (sadly) coming to an end in these next few chapters, I'm curious. I have every intention of making another fanfiction after this one and if that happens, what are some things you'd like to see or any tips?Thank you