Only a few days into his lease, Fitz's apartment had already become a place with a meaning — a resting spot for him to belong. He was too thrilled to actually live in a space and call his own, not just feel like a guest in a boring room with classic hotel artwork and bland colors, twenty-four-seven. When the listing appeared online, he found all of the pros. Proximity to work, Metro access, and a vibrant social scene, he was sold. This could work out after all.

Pieces of home were scattered around the spacious living room that flowed into the kitchen. A plant from his mother, cookware he had kept since his college days. Artwork on specific walls. Thanks to Abby's creative eye and handiwork, all of the furniture was moved in and established while he was out and about. So, he had no problem with Olivia Pope standing and sitting in his apartment. And he did not mind her observing — something she knew how to do and do it well — learning about him.

"Tell me about yourself."

Looking back at his beautiful guest while preparing a few drinks, he replied, "Well, my name is Fitz Grant. I'm forty years old, from California. I love working on TV. I play the guitar sometimes, not a pro, but also past the novice stage. My biggest fan is my Mom. Hate bananas. With a passion. So if you order me a smoothie and if any type of that fruit is in it, I'm gonna decline. I still have no clue how the Metro works. I'm not the best cook, but I can roast chicken with veggies and they kick ass."

Olivia shook her head, covering her mouth, slightly amused by the facts her new neighbor gave, while she relaxed on his couch. As she listened, her eyes semi-wandered, jealous of the well-furnished apartment. It reminded her of all she had to do to get her place together.

"That's...nice."

Knowing she wasn't impressed, Fitz countered, "Oh? One up me then, Olivia."

"No."

"C'mon, what should I know about you? The real Olivia Pope?"

He watched her sigh with such drama, flailing her hand.

"Fine… Popcorn is what I eat on a regular basis, with a healthy serving of wine. I have sophisticated fashion tastes. I'd rather focus on my work, than my life outside of it. I can't eat seafood. When I need to decompress, I run, also swim."

"Anything else? A little bit on the personal side, that goes beyond a nice bio on the station's website?"

Olivia squinted, receiving a glass of red wine. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

She couldn't resist his flirtateous ways. Even when he willingly teased her, or tried to agitate, Olivia found Fitz to be very attractive. An easy-going man with an affable personality. She could see herself with someone like him. He wouldn't get jealous of her accomplishments, and be the best person he could be.

As if she was intentionally sabotaging, she answered, "I am an only child."

Fitz didn't want the visit to go south, so dropping the subject was a given. It did appear to be quite odd that Olivia wouldn't divulge.

"Cool."

"Were you planning to go somewhere?"

"I was," he started, "But then I heard you mumbling. Your voice is very distinct to me. We've been working for almost a month now. I recognize it. Had to look outside to make sure it was true."

Olivia huffed, "Coming to my rescue?"

"Barely," Fitz playfully scoffed, placing his hands on his hips. "But I'm glad I am seeing you today."

Meeting his sweet face, she answered softly. "Me too."

Something always clicked when their eyes met. It either led to an awkward silence, or a powerful action.

Five minutes later, Olivia was on Fitz's lap, their chests pressed together, exploring the covered planes of their bodies. When they kissed, the connection they had erased any previous actions. Their kisses were engulfing. Hungry. Soul-sucking. She loved kissing him and he always wanted to kiss her. They had to be honest; their lackluster conversation was a filler for what they really wanted to do.

He kept sucking on her neck, extremely careful not to mark her skin, but thoroughly satisfied with the soft moans she made as his mouth touched her beautiful veins. Then, he switched his attention to her bottom lip, already naturally plump, but eager to make it swell while wrapping his fingers around her jaw.

Her hands roamed through his full head of hair, while her hips had a mind of their own, grinding on him purposely, wanting him to moan and crave her. She tugged at his shirt, lifting the bottom, to feel his abs, or any part of his skin. Olivia whimpered, going through so many emotions. Could she control herself? She wanted to fuck him, have him inside of her. Always positive he was on the same wavelength.

"Beautiful," he groaned raspily, his hips bucking against her. "Fuck, you're killing me."

Olivia gripped his arm as she straddled him, pushing herself closer to him, loving the friction. "Do you like having sex on your couch?"

"This is new," Fitz chuckled before firmly palming her breast through her shirt, while his other hand focused on getting her wet, circling his fingerpads on her clit, relishing in the truth; the arousal he was feeling was his responsibility. "I'm willing for you to christen it. I'll do whatever you want."

Her eyes closed as she let herself experience this wave, but her eyes shot open. Thinking she was subtle, Olivia pulled away from Fitz's hungry mouth.

"Oh no," he mumbled, glancing at her, before returning to her collarbone. "You won't do this again. Don't stop, baby."

Olivia let out a giggle, while brushing her hand on his denim-covered crotch, which was so hard. She gasped because she realized how wet she was; touching him was her favorite activity these days. Knowing how he responded to her, was more of a turn on.

Willing herself to stay in the moment, she tried to proceed, but couldn't.

"Liv..."

Scrambling off of Fitz, hearing his exasperated groans, Olivia moved away, giving herself a minute. She wasn't a prude; she loved having sex. But something didn't feel right. The memories of lectures from her parents moving to the front of her mind, she knew it was a sign. Feeling hot to the touch, she allowed her heart rate to settle and breathing to even out. It was probably best to separate.

Staring at her, confused, with fiery red ears, Fitz waited. It wouldn't be bad to ignore responsibilites and have a good time with him? But at the same time, she wasn't the kind of woman who thoroughly enjoyed one night stands, or hooking up without rules.

"What's wrong, Liv?"

"I should go."

His eyes read Don't, but he agreed. "Okay."

A somewhat remorseful Olivia scooted in again, to kiss him, believing it could soothe away her flakiness. After she let go of his lips, she patted his chest and replied. "Thank you for inviting me. I'll…see you around."

"For another frustrating round of passion? I'm fucking confused. Can you tell me what's going on?"

She knew he wasn't happy. Neither was she, feeling her stomach coil with guilty butterflies. But somehow the universe kept interrupting them before they took it too far, before they could regret anything.

"I want this — very much. But..."

"But what?"

Olivia bit her lip, wanting to say the right words.

"I need to trust my gut."

"Is that so," Fitz asked, crossing his arms. "Am I some form of temptation? Is it your beliefs? You should have told me."

"No. It's not that. It sounds ridiculous, but it's something I do. I don't always think things through when I'm in the moment. The timing doesn't seem right."

"But it could be. Wait," he stopped himself. Olivia saw the fear in his eyes. Cautiously, he inquired, "Am I pressuring you?"

"No, you're not. Let's talk about it first. Sober. We have our jobs to think about. We need a plan. Does that make sense?"

"That's a good idea." Fitz squeezed her hand, wanting to kiss her again, but he didn't want to force anything, if she was already creating a new boundary.

"You can kiss me, Grant."

He didn't hestitate.

After their lips parted, he tapped his finger on her nose. "I'm fine with taking it slow, but look. If you do this again, we are going to have a problem. Because you're going to miss out on what I give."

Her eyes widened as the smooth talker proceeded to share some of his favorite things to do to and do with a woman. He smiled while she slowly rose from the couch, knowing his effectiveness.

Olivia took her purse, then reached for the doorknob. Still smitten for him, she turned back. Fitz winked at her, giving a nod.

She faintly smiled at her co-host, friend, and neighbor, before heading out, again. She needed to stop this trend, of always leaving while their fun was starting out.

Annalise and Cyrus organized the show's first promotional event in the Wharf — a newer development in the District — a meet and greet at a fall festival. The news station had a publicity booth with a mini stage to the side. A few of the evening anchors came as well to take turns and interact with the crowd, giving them a taste of who they were in person. Annalise and her PR team was not playing this year. They asked Michaela to host; it would give her more play as a featured segment host.

With her bright smile and in her signature yellow dress, the beauty greeted the people. "Good morning! How are you doing today? We have a great segment coming up. Please give it up for the hosts of your favorite AM show, Morning Live, Olivia Pope and Fitz Grant!"

Olivia chose to wear a sweater, black pants and sparkling booties, to give a more personal touch, not too dolled up. She glanced at Fitz — always in his blue suit, but no tie this time around — with a smile. "Ready?"

"You bet."

Fitz walked in front so he could take Olivia's hand, helping her up the steps, then followed her to their seats. They both waved and smiled. Everyone cheered, snapping pictures of the two. The interview was endearing; the crowd laughed numerous times and enjoyed the playful banter between Grant and Pope. A casual discussion about how they were loving Washington life, getting to meet more people, their favorite memories of fall, and other random tidbits.

Olivia mentioned how their signature high five came to be; they looked for a way to show their comraderie without being too much.

An audience member asked, "Do you like working with each other?"

Fitz grinned, ready to take the lead. "Getting to work with Olivia Pope every morning? It's amazing. She always brings something new to the table. The transition to morning has been great, thanks to her."

She jabbed his side. "Wow. I wasn't expecting such great words from you. To answer your question, he's alright."

There was a mix of laughter and gasps. Olivia winked, tapping her microphone, to get their attention. "In all honesty, Fitz has been a joy to work with. He's a great partner and I wouldn't be able to do this without him." She reached over to kiss his cheek. A bit of a shock to everyone, but she didn't care. It was a sweet exchange of affection.

Michaela noticed a stage manager circling his finger to wind down the segment, so she graciously paused to thank the hosts for attending.

After wrapping up, Fitz and Olivia posed together for pictures, with his hand nicely settled on the small of her back, something he had never done before. She laughed genuinely whenever he cracked a joke. The two took numerous selfies with fans and bystanders, who were walking along the waterfront. Lots of material for their social media pages.

During a lull, the two were facing the water, enjoying the calm.

Fitz leaned over to whisper in her ear, to remain discreet, but his intent was to catch another whiff of the floral scent that drove him wild. "That was fun. We should do that again."

"Yeah," she smiled, making his heart and dick simultaneously leap.

"Fitz Grant!"

The hairs of his neck stood at attention, swiftly pivoting to the sound. A dark-haired woman cheerfully approached, arms open, swarming in for a hug. "Finally! How are you?"

"I'm doing fine. Yourself?"

The woman kissed him on the cheek, then stilled to observe how close he and Olivia were standing to each other.

"Who is this ray of sunshine? Where are your manners, hun?"

Eyebrows lifted in utter confusion, Fitz opted to quickly switch gears to become a gracious host.

"Olivia, this is Melody."

"Hi, Melody. Nice to meet you. How do you two know each other?"

Before Melody could say anything, Fitz rushed his answer, "Friends back in L.A."

The shrill, fake laugh, filled with gusto surprised Olivia. The woman slapped Fitz's bicep, and that definitely gave a possessive vibe. She was quick to notice all of Melody's actions.

"Ha! More like thick as thieves, former roommates and lovers…"

Olivia tilted her head slightly, with a grin. "Oh?"

Cursing under his breath, Fitz knew everything about Olivia's expression was deadly.

Before he could interrupt, Melody stated, "Yes. We dated for two years. I was by his side at all of his work events. Sometimes he would surprise me at my job, and everyone would fawn over him! His fame got the best of him and he decided to shock all of us and move East. You're such a playboy. Always flirting with all the ladies. It shows on your new program. Isn't that right, Olivia?"

Fitz pursed his lips, attempting to not show his contempt when she playfully slap his bicep. It wasn't that she was lying, because she wasn't, but to mention all of his bad boy behavior in front of his co-host. It must have been obvious to her that competition was present. Sneering, he returned his attention to Olivia, whose demeanor changed drastically. She had taken a full step away from him, hands folded in front, with an objective glance. Much like how she moved when they first met. Aloof, collected, and professional.

"He will do anything to make sure his co-anchors are happy."

Olivia interjected, "You are correct. He is good at what he does. Always the charmer. Well, I don't want to interrupt you two catching up. Fitz, great work. I'll see you on Monday."

"Liv."

Fitz sighed with disappointment, because she was already gone, out of reach. After a cordial wave, she retrieved her things, immediately putting her cellphone to her ear, strutting towards the parking garage. He continued to watch her as she moved away with intention. The toned pair of legs he dreamt about constantly. A punch to his gut.

Melody was still staring at him, satisfied, when he turned around, disgusted.

"Why did you do that," he reprimanded. "There was no reason to elaborate about our past in front of my co-worker."

With a smirk, she replied, "I wanted her to know a few things."

"There is nothing for her to know."

"We've been keeping track of you, Fitz. After you ditched all of us. We see the clips online. You two have a thing. Remember how you were with Kimberly? Everyone knew you were so close, you were inseperable. All those after-work outings. Taking her out to lunch?"

Fitz gritted his teeth, "Stop this."

Melody continued, "There's nothing wrong with playing a part, my dear Fitz. But she needs to know about us."

"Again, nothing to know because we are done."

Fitz snatched off the lavalier — a huge no-no, storming back to the tent. In a rush, he grabbed his backpack, swinging it over his shoulder. He kept his shit together, after catching the attention of Connor, Michaela, and Marcus. He waved goodbye to them, before marching away, with Mellie following behind, with her annoyingly sharp heels hitting the ground.

"Ha! Bullshit, my love. We're most certainly not. There is more to us and we are not finished. You running off because your penis stood at attention when you saw that pretty little thing—"

"Shut the fuck up, Mellie. You know exactly why I left you," he stepped to her, making sure no one else would hear him. "I thought I made that clear when we had lunch the day before I left. Not even bothering to respond to any of your messages or calls. What don't you get?"

Batting her eyelashes, she pressed her hand on his shoulder. "We should catch up."

Fitz took a deep breath; he could not let his anger get the best of him. Only an hour prior, he was having a wonderful time, enjoying the cool weather, working with Olivia. He could not let his former lover make him look bad.

"I can't fucking stand you. Don't even bother."

"Love you too!"

"Man, you fucked up."

"What?"

Fitz was baffled by the firm accusation Jake Ballard made. They were in the break room, relaxing before another busy taping. Again too early to deal with stupid prodding.

"I heard about what happened," Jake commented, sipping on his coffee.

"What is that?"

"Your ex-girlfriend was in town."

Rolling his eyes, Fitz was on defense, "Okay, and?"

"Pope saw you two. Heard it did not go well. She was pissed when she arrived this morning, mumbling about something."

Laurel Castillo popped out of nowhere, adding to the conversation. "You guys talking about Olivia? Oh, boy. I have never received such a sharp glare in my life. I could barely say 'good morning' before she ranted at me about knowing people and making sure you get past the facade. Someone clearly messed with the wrong one this weekend."

This was what he didn't miss about this line of work — the gossip. Just when he thought he could keep everything under wraps, a bit of juicy information would spread like wildfire.

"How did you find out?"

"I definitely saw her IG. She tagged you," Laurel replied, taking a piece of muffin. "She is never happy when something is up with you."

"What?"

"Are you that dense, Grant? She posted a picture on Instagram. You know that app we use?"

"Fuck off."

Jake shot a quizzical glance at Laurel, before returning to Fitz. "Anywhoo. I just wanted to let you know that something's up. I'm sure it has to do with you, her, and your ex.

Nothing was clicking; Fitz lifted his mug, and left the room. He couldn't let the unfounded story get into his head. Not before his shift.

Twenty minutes later, he walked on set. Olivia was already in her seat, going over her notes.

"Good morning," he greeted warmly, assuming Jake and Laurel were wrong.

Olivia replied with a succinct "Hello." Downright cold, in Fitz's opinion.

But when the "on-air" box turned on, she was on her A-game, bringing her Southern charm, engaging with him like nothing had happened.

The same routine played out for three days straight. Fitz observed how little she made eye contact with him, unless the script required it. It was so forced. He hated it. Whenever he tried to cut in with a simple remark during the break, she ignored him, or began to talk to the makeup artist, or the new guest.

By the end of Wednesday's episode, Fitzgerald Grant III was fed up, ready for an explanation.

"Thank you for joining us, have a great day, and we will see you tomorrow!"

"And cut!"

Fitz whispered, "Hey. We need to talk."

She didn't answer, only collecting her papers, switching back into her Ugg booties.

"Liv."

Olivia promptly removed her mic pack, and walked off set. But Fitz was determined to not let this continue. He powerwalked to her, right at her side, as they left the set.

"You need to stop. I'm tired of this immature bullshit act. Talk to me like an adult. If I pissed you off, you tell me right now."

She couldn't let down her guard. "We are in public. Back up or look away."

"You're not about to tell me what to do."

"Neither should you," she retorted. "Back. Up."

Fitz jumped in front of her, pleading. "I want to apologize about what happened with Mellie on Saturday. Nothing is going on. She was out of line and I do not condone her actions."

Olivia looked at him with hurt eyes. She knew it was killing him to be in this position, but she couldn't just fall back, needing a little bit more time. In private. "Thanks for the clarification. I'll see you tomorrow."

He couldn't force her to stay, but it did not justify her frigid behavior. They weren't obligated to be friendly off-the-clock, but damn, he was concerned. As he turned around to collect his thoughts, he met Cyrus' judgmental state.

"What now?"

His director pointed at him. "Meet me in my office in five."

Fitz arrived in four minutes and fifty-five seconds. "What's up?"

"What did you do?"

"Huh?"

"You and Olivia. What's going on?"

Shrugging, Fitz offered, "She had an off day."

"For three days straight?" Cyrus lifted one eyebrow, ready to give him another lecture.

"She is allowed to have them."

"There's always a shift when you two are off. It's very obvious. We notice shit. Just saying. And what I saw back there was extremely alarming."

"I don't think so."

"You know I asked her if she was okay, and she flipped me off."

Closing his eyes in disbelief, Fitz sighed, "She did that?"

Cyrus complained, sitting down in his plush leather chair. "Why would I lie to you, Grant? You know Annalise is going to have a sit down with you."

Fitz was becoming more irritated, because of a small interaction on the weekend, would now affect his work. This is why Olivia was extremely hesitant back in his apartment. It was making more sense.

"Your jokes are falling flat. The transitions aren't working. It looks forced. We can't have that. The public will know, if they haven't already. Did something happen on Saturday?"

Fitz rolled his eyes; "My ex came to the promo event. She made a bit of a scene, annoyed Olivia a bit."

"How?"

There was no way in hell Fitz was going to reveal about their situation, it was too sensitive and talking about it without Olivia's knowledge would end any hope in a relationship with her. "We just finished our segment and my ex ruined the vibe. She acted unprofessionally, bringing up a topic that was uncalled for. I haven't gotten a chance to talk to Olivia. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Whatever, just fix it," Cyrus answered gruffly.

Fitz didn't know what that meant. It couldn't have been that simple. "What? What do you mean?"

"Is your head in the clouds? Fix it. Fix it now. If you don't, ratings will plummet to hell," Cyrus demanded. "I don't care how you do it. Hell, if you have to tell her she's the most beautiful woman in the world, wine her, dine her… Fuck her, for all I care."

Nearly choking, nowhere familiar with his superior's candor, Fitz exclaimed, "Cy!"

After taking a quick drink out of his mug, Cyrus added, putting the fear of God, Annalise Keating, and himself into Fitz, "I'm going to talk to her as well, but you need to do your part. We need both of you to convince the metropolitan area that you two are on good terms. Make. It. Happen. Or I swear to God, Annalise Keating will fire all of us. Then I will kick your pretty ass. Now get the fuck out of my office."

Pissed off, determined, and completely smitten with Olivia Pope, Fitz Grant was going to get to the bottom of this, and he knew exactly what to do.