A/N: Hope you enjoy the new update and since most people didn't care for Mellie, I've decided to leave her out. No love lost. Ha ha. Enjoy!


The next morning after breakfast, Olivia began to clean her stark white apartment. She'd opted for bright white walls all throughout her apartment because it made her modest size apartment appear larger. She didn't had much to do as she was relatively a clean person. She washes the small pile of dirty dishes resting in the sink – a combination of the previous night's and this morning, made her bed, vacuum the mostly cleaned floor and fluff the pillows on her couch. When she was finished, she took her single load of laundry downstairs to the laundromat.

Olivia hummed in time to the music ebbing out of the speakers that lined the laundromat's walls while she waited for her wash cycle to finish. Feeling bored, she picks up her phone to get into a game of candy crush. She didn't understand why she even played the game, it was a love hate kind of relationship.

Opening the game app, her phone simultaneously chimes, signaling an incoming text. Olivia's heart leapt when she saw it was from Fitz. She laughed when she saw the fire truck emoji next to his name.

She smiles as she taps on the message to open it. Occasionally through the night and this morning, thoughts of him would go through her head but she would push it away.

Fitz: Good morning. Hope you're having a good morning. Just wanted to remind you of our lunch date.

Olivia's heart swell at him referring to their lunch meeting as a lunch date, technically it was both. After reading it, she debates with herself whether to text him back immediately or wait a minute. She didn't want to look too eager.

After two minutes had passed since the text was received, she threw caution to the wind and replied back to him.

Olivia: Good morning to you too. My morning is good so far and I haven't forgotten about our lunch meeting.

Fitz: Great. What you up to?

Olivia did a double take when he asked her what she was doing. Her cheeks heat up at the thought of him taking interest in her but a small part in the back of her head tells her, 'he's just being friendly.' She stifles any romantic feeling in her heart and replies to his message.

Olivia: Laundry right now.

Immediately a text came through.

Fitz: Me too. Great minds. *he includes a smiling emoji*

Olivia laughed disbelievingly at the odds that they would both be doing laundry at the same time.

Fitz: We seem to have a lot of habits in common.

Olivia reads the last text Fitz sent her with an arched eyebrow. She wanted to know why he would say that and if his observations were accurate.

Olivia: Yea? Like what?

Fitz: I'll tell you over lunch.

Olivia smirks at his answer. Was he playing with me?

Olivia: Ok, Lt. I look forward to hearing about our common habits.

Fitz: Likewise, Olivia, and please call me Fitz.

Olivia: Got it. *she inserts a smiling emoji also*

Fitz: See you soon.

Olivia debated whether to reply to his message or leave it as it was. She decided to do the latter and thankfully her load was finished; putting her phone away she got up to tend to her laundry. She removed the clothes from the washer, transferred it to the dryer and added a few bounce scented sheets in the process.


12 PM on the dot, Fitz pulled up to the front of Olivia's apartment building. Today the forecast showed that they would be light snowfall around 4 PM, which isn't unusually being that they were in the early days of December.

He didn't had to wait long for her as he'd sent her a text before leaving the house, saying that he was on his way.

He watches as she walks through the door that was being held by a charismatic old man.

The old man tells her something and she throws her head back in laughter. She looked extremely beautiful in that moment, experiencing unbridled bliss. Her words from last night came back to him about just being. She looks like she'd experienced one of those rare moments when all fears and burdens are removed from your conscience.

Olivia looks up and sees Fitz waiting at the curb for her. Telling bye to Oscar, the old man that lived on the first floor that always seem to flirt with her, she makes her way over to his truck. Thanking her lucky stars that it wasn't his motorcycle.

"Hi," she greets with an infectious smile.

"Hi, you look great," Fitz complimented, unable to stop himself. She was a mass of curly afro, her hair framing her face, he'd never seen her hair in any other style other than in a bun.

She smiles at him as she opens the truck door.

"I really like your hair," he compliments her again when she got settled inside the truck. Visions of waking up next to her, mass of curls splayed on top his pillow plagues his mind. Physically, he shook his head to rid from the mental euphoric visualization.

"Thank you," Olivia blushes and pushes a tendril behind her ear. For some reason, him liking her natural hair made her appreciate him all the more.

"No problem," he gives her a toothy smile before pulling out into traffic.

He turned on the radio to fill the silence as he drove, they'd caught the ending of a Christmas carol before it move onto another song. It wasn't just another song it was one of his favorite songs.

"Oh my gosh, I love this song," Olivia's voice low but filled with excitement. She was trying to play it cool but it was one of those song that she always sang at the top of her lungs anytime she heard it.

"Really?" He asked with a huge grin on his face. He couldn't believe that they even liked the same music.

Without directly answering his question, Olivia started singing the song aloud.

My lover's got humor

She's the giggle at a funeral

Knows everybody's disapproval

I should've worshipped her sooner

If the heavens ever did speak

She's the last true mouthpiece

Every Sunday's getting more bleak

A fresh poison each week

Olivia couldn't believe that she was singing aloud in front of someone, something that she only does in the privacy of her apartment but something about the way Fitz was looking at her made her daring. So she continued singing in time to the song.

'We were born sick, ' you heard them say it

My Church offers no absolutes

She tells me, 'Worship in the bedroom.'

The only heaven I'll be sent to

Is when I'm alone with you

I was born sick,

But I love it

Command me to be well

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Unable to be relegated any longer as just a listener, Fitz joins in the singing. Olivia falters as his deep voice, blends in perfectly with the melodious qualities of Hozier's. Together they sang the chorus.

Take me to church

I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies

I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife

Offer me that deathless death

Good God, let me give you my life

At the stop light they both turned to each other wearing ridiculous grins as they continued their duet of the song.

If I'm a pagan of the good times

My lover's the sunlight

To keep the Goddess on my side

She demands a sacrifice

Drain the whole sea

Get something shiny

Something meaty for the main course

That's a fine looking high horse

What you got in the stable?

We've a lot of starving faithful

They were both bobbing their heads to the beat of the song as their emotions got caught up when the song reaches the crescendo.

Take me to church

I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies

I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife

Offer me that deathless death

Good God, let me give you my life

When the song was finished, fits of giggles fills the car as they both laugh at what had just taken place. Neither one knew what had taken over them that made them so uninhibited to be all in, in that moment.

"I swear that song has a hold on me. I can't help myself every time I hear it," Olivia admits.

"I kid you not I'm the same. He's a really talented musician."

"He really is," Olivia agrees. "A concert with him and Ed Sheeran would be amazing."

"Wait you're a fan of Ed Sheeran too?"

She beams happily at him, and nods her head up and down, she couldn't believe that they had pretty much the same taste in music. "Enough so, that I could get married to his voice," she jokes.

Fitz laughs at her candor before replying, "What do you think of Sam Smith?"

"Are you in my mind, Fitz?" Her tone playfully light.

Fitz' heart skipped a beat when she casually says his name. Normally he would have to probe it out of her.

"Well do you?" He smirks.

"I do," she confirms.

"Very nice soulful voice, reminds me of some old school music with a modern twist."

Olivia hums her agreement, her cheeks hurting from laughing and smiling so much.


An hour had passed since they'd arrived at Novak's. Liv ordered a margarita chicken bowl while Fitz indulged in a good ole American burger – something that he eats on occasion. Ever since their impromptu duet in the truck, there was an ease about them.

"Rumor has it that you're going to the Fire Academy in spring. Is that true?"

Olivia chews and swallows her food before answering, "That's true."

Fitz nods and dips one of his fries into the side of ketchup on his plate.

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to become a firefighter?"

Olivia places her fork down before wiping her mouth with a napkin. She contemplated whether or not to open that can of worms.

For a long time she kept opening and closing her mouth but nothing came out.

Seeing her predicament, Fitz says, "Its ok, you don't have to tell me."

Olivia sighs, she was truly incapable of voicing that part of her. She had left it buried for so long that she wasn't even capable of putting it together in words.

"I'm sorry. It's not that I don't want to tell you it's just… I… It's something that I wanted to become ever since I was a young girl," she finally explains.

Fitz nods his head, he could see the determination in her that it was something she really wanted to do.

"I think you would make a great firefighter," he says seriously, making sure he held her eyes with his; so that she would know his compliment was sincere.

If he kept up complimenting her like this all day, Olivia's head would surely burst from the swelling.

"Thank you, Lt. I mean Fitz, that means a lot coming from you."

Fitz gives her a shrug of his shoulder coupled by his boyish grin.

For the remainder of their meal they went over Fitz's secret strategy of dropping off the toys anonymously. Which in reality was him packing the gifts at the back of his truck and delivering it late night, the day before Christmas Eve. He was Fire Claus. Olivia laughed heartily when he disclosed his alias. She was greatly enthused that she would be his sidekick this year.

When they were finish eating, the waitress brings the bill.

"I got it," he tells her when he sees her hands going for it.

"Fitz, that's not necessary."

"It's not but I would like to do it," he looks at her seriously.

He was so assertive that Olivia had no other choice but to relinquish her control and allow him to pay for her meal. She found it charming that he would insist on paying for her meal.

"If you insist."

"I insist. Friends don't let friends pay for their meals."

Olivia laughs at his frankness.

"So we're friends huh?" She asks when the waiter retreated with his credit card.

"I would hope so," he smiles at her.

They both knew that they were flirting dangerously close to the inappropriate line but neither chance pointing it out.

She simply smiles and toy with the tips of her gloves.

When the tab was settled, Fitz asked, "Do you want to take a walk? I know it's cold –"

"When is it never cold in Chicago?" Olivia jokingly interrupts.

"Touché," Fitz laughs.

"And yes I'd like to take a walk."

Fitz smiles and they wordlessly stand and made their way out of the restaurant.

Walking down the sidewalks of downtown Chicago, they were lost in a sea of Christmas shoppers. The shops were decorated festively in honor of the upcoming holiday.

The newly declared friends, walked around aimlessly taking in the scenery, it wasn't often that either one of them would do something like this.

"Hot chocolate?" Fitz asked as they were approaching a Starbucks.

"Yes but it'll be my treat," she replied.

"You drive a hard bargain, Olivia."

Olivia almost giggled in delight when he called her name. It sent shivers through her body each and every time. She could only imagine what it would sound like with him… Her mind trails from that line of thinking. Get it together, Olivia. Just friends.

They made their way into Starbucks and was surprised by the short line. When it was her turn, Olivia ordered a half and half hot chocolate (1/2 dark chocolate and ½ white chocolate) in which Fitz had never heard of.

"One time a barista suggested it to me since I'm not a big fan of sweets. White chocolate is too sweet and the dark one is too bitter. The half and half gives it a perfect balance," she explains, trying to persuade him to try his hot chocolate like hers' instead of the dark chocolate he always insisted on having.

"And if it doesn't taste good, I'm blaming you," he acquiesces.

"I'll take the blame," she returns with a smile.

"So that'll be two large half and half hot chocolate?" the barista asked, breaking up their conversation.

"Yes please," Olivia acquiesce.

"That'll be $8.43, ma'am. Can I get a name for the drinks?"

Olivia hands him her debit card and replies, "Fire Claus" with the most serious expression. The barista looks at her as if she was crazy but complies with her wishes. He swipes her card and hands it back to her.

"Fire Claus, really?" Fitz snickers as they moved off to the side to wait on their order.

"What? I think it's pretty cool. I hope you don't mind that I used it."

Fitz shakes his head, "No, actually it's quite funny."

"Good."

After about five minutes of waiting, they heard their alias being called.

"Fire Clause," one of the baristas from the back calls out as there drinks were ready. They exchanged knowing looks with each other – both stifling a laughter, before making their way up to the counter to collect their drinks.

Each one with a drink in hand, made their way out of the now full coffee shop back onto the sidewalk. Each time a door was present, Fitz made sure to open it for her.

"Thank you for the hot chocolate," he says after they were back in the cold outdoors.

"You're welcome."

They spent the next half an hour walking, talking and sipping on their hot beverages until it was done. Feeling like he'd kept her out for way too long, Fitz suggested that they return to the restaurant to pick up his truck.

On their way back, a blaring fire truck passed them on the street followed by an ambulance.

"Wonder what's going on," they both said at the same time.

They both laughed at their twin brain moment. Today showed them that they really do have a lot of things in common.

"On my off days I can't help but think what's going on each time I hear a siren," Fitz divulges as an explanation for his earlier statement.

"Me too. Sometimes I'm even tempted to follow them and offer a helping hand if needed one."

Fitz smiles mostly to himself because that's the way he sometimes feel. She gets that the job is more than a job, it was a lifestyle. Talking to her was like a reflection into his soul, it was easy and effortless. He enjoys their conversations because one minute they could be joking and the other, discussing something deep. Why only now am I opening up myself to her? He mentally thinks to himself.

They continued their trek to the restaurant in silence until they approached his truck. Finally being on the outside of it, Fitz opens the passenger side door for her and closes it when she got in.

As he makes his way around the vehicle to the driver's side, their earlier text session came back to memory. Once he was settled inside the truck, he asks, "Do I still need to answer your question from our text session?"

Olivia smiles at him as he buckles up his seatbelt, "I think I can see what you were trying to say."

Fitz smirks, something Olivia notices that he does often. It was the cutest thing too.

"I'm glad you can see it too."

Olivia allowed his statement to hang in the air, not knowing what to say and it was fine by her.

They made the drive back to her apartment in mostly comfortable silence; and easy conversation whenever either one would raise one. They didn't see the need to talk futilely to fill in companionable silence.

Twenty minutes later he pulls up to her apartment building and Olivia was preparing herself to exit the vehicle.

"Thanks for the lunch, I had a really good time. I'll see you tomorrow." She tells him as her hand holds onto the door handle to open it.

"You're welcome and yes I'll see you tomorrow," Fitz didn't want her to leave, he was enjoying having her to himself; but know that there wasn't any reason for him to have her stay longer.

"Alright, have a great rest of the day," was her final words before stepping out of the truck.

"You too."

Fitz watches her and smiles when she turns around to give him a wave, in which he reciprocates. The more time he spent with her; the more he slid deeper down the well of romantic feelings.


Fitz returns home and enjoys a quiet evening in with his dog. They were able to catch a football game between the Giants and Rams. It was an ok game, the Giants winning 40-32.

He was just about to go into his work shed at the back of the yard when his phone started ringing. Looking down at the caller ID, he saw that it was Stephen.

"Grant," Stephen greets.

"Hey, what's up?" Fitz silently praying that he wouldn't ask him to go out again.

"I'm here at Marisa's," the girl Stephen had introduced him to at the bar.

"Oh and you're calling me? It must be important," Fitz jokes.

"Yea it is. Guess who I saw walking down the street together looking cozy and in love? I was quite shock if I must say."

Fitz could feel the bottom of his stomach drops, immediately knowing he was hinting at him and Olivia.

"Yea? Who was that?"

"So, you're going to play coy now?"

Fitz dry chuckles.

"You and Pope? Never saw that one coming but I should have, y'all are pretty much the same boring old people. Are you hitting that?"

"Stephen," Fitz warns using his first name, letting him know that he was serious. "I don't need to explain myself to you but I will say that it's not what you're thinking."

"Well you could've fooled me."

Fitz sighs because Stephen wouldn't let it go. "Isn't there something you would rather be doing with, Marisa?"

"As a matter-of-fact there is. By the way, since you and Pope are not doing the horizontal dance, would you like to go out with Marisa's little sister. She's 22 and even cuter, it's a pity I didn't see her first."

"You're such a pig," Fitz laughs. Leave it to Stephen to stick his pole into anything that walks. "But no thanks, I'm cool."

"Really? You're cool? It's been how long since you got some?"

And here we go, the conversation always stemmed back to when he'd last slept with a woman. Truthfully, it had been a very long time. It's not that he couldn't sleep with random women but he chooses not to. Being a fire fighter has brought many of women to his feet, especially women who he'd rescued on a call. Some of them thought that it was fate that he would come to their rescue. They would even come to the firehouse bearing gifts, mostly cooked gifts to display their best assets he presumes.

The last serious or as serious as it ever got for him, relationship, was five years ago. That was the last time Fitz had any sexual encounters with a woman. At the beginning of his dry spell (what Stephen calls out) he was too busy trying to mesh things up with his mother before she died, then after she'd died he had a period of depression and when he'd came out of it, he didn't had the urge to pursue random meaningless relations anymore. And nowadays he was so busy with work that his body hardly reminds him of his carnal needs. In times that it did remind him, he would simply satisfy himself with his hands. At least he rather deal with himself rather than some crazy one nightstand who wanted more. He was done screwing over the opposite sex for sex.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he finally answers Stephen, "I think this conversation has reached the end. Good night, Finch. Try to get some rest before tomorrow."

"No fun!" He could hear Stephen saying while he disconnected the phone call. Fitz had to remind himself that Stephen was only looking out for him, even though it was in his own crazy, twisted kind of way.


The next morning by 7, Olivia was walking through her apartment main door, heading onto the sidewalk when she heard the most surprising catcalls.

"Fire Claus 2.0 (two point O), over here," Olivia looks up to see Fitz bundled up in his winter gear leaning against his truck – she immediately walks over to him.

"What is all this?" She asked flabbergasted.

"I thought I'll give my friend a ride to work. I wasn't sure what time you normally leave since our shift starts at 8, so I've been here since 6:30," he explains, smiling down at her. He notices that her wild curls were tamed by a neat bun this morning.

"Fitz, you're crazy. It's snowing and you could get sick standing in it for half an hour," she chastises although her face was beaming pleasantly. Her heart soared at the thought of him waking up early to come give her a ride and standing outside to wait on her. She was blown away.

"Eh, I'll survive. Hop in FC 2.0" he held the passenger side door out for her and allowed her to climb in, before closing it and making his way around to his side.

"This name keeps getting better, from Fire Claus 2.0 to FC 2.0. It's so James Bond-y. I like," she smirks at him.

He smirks back at her, shifting the gears to drive off the truck. "Good to know, now let's go save some lives today."


Their first call came in around 10 that morning, all units were needed on the accident scene. A driver accidentally swerved her car and hit a fire hydrant. In the car was a mother and infant son; he was in the backseat securely strapped into his car seat. The seatbelts were jammed making it impossible for them to get out. It would've been a simple rescue mission if she'd hit the hydrant at the bottom of her car but it wasn't so. In some weird twist in event the car was lying on it its side and the fire hydrant was sticking through the back passenger side window of the compact car, almost touching the toddler.

First arriving on the scene, the rescue squad attempted to push the car upright with just their physical strengths, Fitz led his men and they were succeeding until the water started leaking from the hydrant. The constant pressure against it was making the top loose. Water immediately started filling the car, making the situation even more precarious.

"Wright, grab a sledge hammer," Fitz called to the young candidate. Harrison runs back to the truck and passes the sledge hammer to the firefighter near him and he did the same until it quickly got to Fitz.

Olivia and Abby gloved up, waiting patiently with some oxygen mask rested on two gurneys.

The men eventually got the baby out and they passed him to the paramedics. The kid was crying loudly and was soaking wet from the sprays of water that got him.

Abby and Olivia wrapped a blanket around him and immediately checked him for any injuries. Thankfully, Fitz and his men were able to recuse him before the full pressure of the water blasted through when the bonnet give way.

Fitz and Stephen quickly estimated the grave situation. Chief Beene was on the phone with the city to have the main water line turned off. They were having a hard time getting out the mother because she was on the opposite side of the car where it was resting on the ground. The water from the hydrant was quickly filling up the car, immersing the woman inside of it and spraying up into the air and wetting all those around.

Using their final recourse of action, Wright along with another firefighter started strategically hitting the edges around the windshield. When they'd gotten around mostly of one side, they dropped their sledge hammers and pull on the glass to pull it away from the car. The water immediately starts receding out of it.

Olivia runs over with a neck brace and gurney. She kneels in front of the car and carefully wraps it around the sputtering woman's neck before Fitz cuts her seatbelt off with a cable knife.

Together they were able to transfer her onto the gurney.

"My son, my son" the woman panics as she begins to cough up her lungs.

"Ma'am just breathe. Your son is ok, I need you to breathe. Stay calm, stay calm," Olivia tells her as she pushes her to the awaiting ambulance with Fitz' help.

Seeing her son sitting on the other gurney, the woman started to cry uncontrollably.

Moments like this always brings life into perspective for Olivia. A mother and son reunited; she would be lying if she said that this didn't make her a tad bit envious. She so wishes that her mother had survived the fire. The thought alone made a tear escape her eyes.

Unbeknownst to her, Fitz saw the despondent look that took over her face and it broke his heart.

In a blink of an eye, the moment passed and both returned to being fighting hearts to save others.


Back at the firehouse everyone celebrated a successful rescue mission. The woman they'd now known as Tabitha had only sustained a fractured neck and broken wrist, her son Christopher surprisingly didn't receive any major damages sans some small bruises.

Outcome like this was the main reason why all of them had decided to work in the capacity of rescue and save.


A/N: Here you have it folks! I'm blown away by your overwhelming response for this story. I truly appreciate it.

Our faves are progressing along nicely in the "friends" department. Nothing like some good music to bond over. How kick ass is them working together? I just love it. Lol

Stephen saw them and thought that they were dating, I guess they should be, right? Lol.

You also got a feel of what their work is like and poor Livvie had a moment on the job. I hope you enjoy their job aspect of the story. I'm doing lots of researches to make sure I'm accurate as possible. I'm in no way a firefighter or medical personnel.

Song: Take Me To Church by Hozier

Please leave a review with your thoughts, suggestions, comments or whatever. They keep me going. PS: Fitz hadn't had sex in 5 years o_O