Honesty is the highest form of intimacy

- L. Hayes

Fitz's POV
Liv's quiet for a couple of minutes, which makes me turn my eyes from the road to look at her. Like I expected she's fast asleep in the passenger seat. I smile. Liv's the type of girl that can go from talking endlessly or even crying to being knocked out in a matter of seconds. It's pretty cute.

I'm not gonna wake her up, obviously. She barely slept last night and we still have more than four hours in this car. It's still pretty early morning. But I'm not gonna lie - I feel lonely and the silence isn't nearly as satisfying as I thought it was gonna be.
Before Liv came to my door last night, I was really getting used to the idea of being alone. I'm a pretty introverted guy - despite all the girls constantly trying to talk to me. I just always found it hard to communicate with people other than Cyrus and maybe Jake. So imagine my surprise when Olivia Carolyn Pope comes along and I can talk to her like we've been best friends for years. We definitely have a connection and I'm sick of denying that.
I really like her and that scares me so much. This whole idea of being with her scares me. And I know Mellie will most definitely make a scene about me bringing her, even if I try to convince her that Liv's just my friend. At this point, that's all she really is. But saying that I don't feel anything for her? Let's just say that I am also tired of lying to Mellie. I hope she doesn't take it out on Liv. Liv really doesn't need that on top of everything she's dealing with right now. Mellie? I really love Mellie, I do. But loving her is just so hard and it feels forced at times. And it's not getting easier. We're both just getting more resentful as the relationship goes on. If she really is as rude to Liv as I am expecting... I don't even know what to say.

As for my father? I don't know. Jerry is... well, he really won't care about anything unless it directly affects my education, lifestyle, career or reputation. Unless he thinks I'm gonna be caught in a scandal with Liv as my student, he won't really mind that she's coming. And he definitely won't take it out on her.

I'm not some unrealistic idealistic boy who thinks that I'm gonna run off with Liv and drop my old life behind me - as wonderful as that sounds to me right now. I know I have to try to make it work with Mells. I know that. But I also know that what's more important to me right now is taking care of Olivia.
We really didn't talk about anything deep after singing that dumb but adorable duet together. We barely scratched the surface. I just told her not to worry about Mellie. I told her to consider it handled. And she just finally trusted me and dozed off to sleep, which I am happy about.

But, like I said, I miss talking to her. I miss hearing her voice. Still, I am so glad she trusts me. She trusts me enough to keep her bathroom door open, to change in front of me and to fall asleep right next to me (or rather, in my arms like last night). She trusts me and something tells me that Liv doesn't trust a lot of people.

But I am so infatuated with her. She is so honest and direct. And she's so sweet - making me feel like a dick when I raised my voice at her. Just the look on her face made me hate myself for doing that.

I'm happy she's here with me, you know? Against all odds, we're here together. And even if I'll have hell to pay with Mellie, I am glad Liv is coming home with me. It feels so natural, her next to me. I know she feels out of place but I don't want her to. I want her to know that I always got her, no matter what.

My smile fades as I lean into my pocket to get my phone. I type in the passcode while trying to simultaneously focus on the road. I know that it's not safe - especially with Livvy in the car, but I have to do this and I don't want to walk her up and ask her to. I take a deep breath and find Mellie's contact. If I don't tell Mel about Liv before and she gets the wrong idea...well, I don't want to spend my Thanksgiving break in a war zone. So I have to tell her beforehand.

"This is Mellie Grant," her voicemail chimes and I cringe when I hear my last name already next to her first. "You've obviously caught me at a busy time! Probably making wedding plans! Haha, anyways, just leave a message and I will get right back to you!"

I hear the beep and inhale. I try to lower my voice as to not wake up Liv. "Hey, Mel, it's me, Fitz...I'm driving back to LA right now and I'm excited to see you and the fam. I should be there by dinner...happy early Thanksgiving, babe..." My eyes pull towards Liv, who is still curled up and sleeping deeply in the passenger seats. I take another breath. I thought I could do this, but I can't. "I just wanted to say that I love you. A lot. And I can't wait to see you. Bye."

I sigh and hang up the phone. It's so pathetic that I'm scared of Mellie but I know her and I know that when she's upset, she can make my life hell. That said, Liv deserves more than the shit I know Mellie will throw at her once we get to Los Angeles. And that makes me unbelievably anxious because all I don't want Livvy to have to deal with that on top of everything.

"Liv," I reach out and rub her arm. I know it's messed up of me to do because it will now be the second time I woke her up - and this time, unnecessarily.

But I really need to do this.

"Huh," Liv's eyelids flutter and she looks up at me. "Is everything okay? What happened?"

"Everything is fine," I try to smile. "I'm just...sorry."

"I already told you it's okay," she replies gently, then turns back to presumably go back to sleep. "Now shut up."

I laugh tightly. I'm not apologizing again for yelling at her - even though I probably should. I'm apologizing because now that I really think of everything Mellie and my family might do or say, I'm getting genuinely worried and regretting bringing her.

I'm not worried about what they'll say to me. I don't care, I can take that. But Liv? She's already in a tough place and my family can be savages. Liv practically started crying when I raised my voice at her so God knows what'll happen if Mellie throws shade.

"Fitz?"

My eyes flutter to Olivia momentarily and I realize she's not asleep anymore. She's wide awake and looking at me.

I loosen my grip on the steering wheel and try to relax my voice. "Yeah?"

"You wouldn't lie to me, right?"

I raise my eyebrows. "No, I wouldn't."

"Then tell me what's wrong."

I almost laugh. How can Liv have the audacity to ask me to be honest when she won't even tell me what happened the other night? She hasn't told me why she was crying. And a part of me still doesn't believe her about how she got that cut on the side of her face.

"I could ask you the same thing."

After a pause, I hear Olivia inhale. "I'm from Baltimore...and back there, I made some bad choices." She laughs kind of resentfully. "Even worse than some of those I made here. Anyway, my dad...he kind of had enough of that. He had enough of me. And he cut me off. Financially and emotionally and...basically, I don't have a father anymore.

I stare at the road ahead of me. That sucks. Whatever Olivia did, no matter how bad, parents don't have leverage to just give up. But that happens way too much. She's eighteen. She's a kid. But she goes through so much. "What about your mom?"

"She's..." Liv's voice trails off and next to me, I see her face the window again.

I lean over and take her hand. She doesn't have to say anything. She doesn't have to say anything at all. Instead, I'll be here for the both of us. "It's okay. You're okay."

"I'm not," Liv whispers, then clears her throat. "But I don't want you to pity me. I'm serious, Fitz, I-"

"I don't," I promise her. And I really don't. I think she's brave. I think she's strong. I know she is. "But I need you to know everything really is gonna be alright."

Liv doesn't say anything, which proves that she doesn't believe me. A silent minute passes between us and just when I think she fell back asleep, I hear her clear her throat. "So." She says in a lighter tone. "Tell me about your family."

"There's not much to tell," I shrug. "You already know about Mellie. There's just my dad - unfortunately. Oh, and I'm an only child."

"Me too," Liv says. She squeezes my hand which lets me know that it's okay to let go now. I do just that. "Did it ever get lonely for you? I know it did for me."

"Not really," I admit. "But that's because I have a big extended family. My dad has two brothers and two sisters. My cousin, Tom, was my best and sometimes only friend growing up. You'll get to meet him. You'll really like him, though."

"The real question is will he like me?" Liv chuckles nervously. "Will any of these people like me?"

"Tom will be completely chill with you and so should my father. None of the rest of my family really matter," I tell her. Then, I take a deep breath. It's only fair to warn her, even if I don't have the nerve to tell Mellie. "Mellie will be...Mellie. She's unpredictable."

Liv laughs. "Okay, now you're scaring me."

"Don't be scared," I grin. "Just be prepared. Don't take anything she says personally. And if she ever really hurts you, just know she's saying it because she's insecure and she probably feels attacked."

"Why would she feel attacked?"

"Have you seen yourself?" I scoff.

Liv is laughing now. "What are you talking about?"

"You," I shake my head. "I mean, Mellie is beautiful, but you're...you're stunning, Liv. You're flawless. You must make every girl that comes across your path crazy jealous."

Liv just keeps laughing. "That's not true. But thanks for saying it."

I just keep shaking my head. How can Liv not know just how beautiful she really is? She's gorgeous. "Anyway, if Mellie bothers you too much, just come get me."

"You'll protect me?" Liv teases.

I grin. "Of course." We stop at a red light and I take the opportunity to look at Liv. She's just so pretty. I can't explain it.

"Fitz," she scoots up in her seat so she's facing me. She smiles warmly. "Thank you for doing this."

I look at her. "It's not an obligation, Liv."

She tilts her head. "Still. Thank you for being here with me."

I lower my eyes to her mouth. I really shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. But that doesn't even begin to compete with how much I want to. "There's no place I'd rather be."

She leans to me just a little bit closer, her eyes locked into mine.

Oh my god, I want to kiss her. I want to kiss her more than I can remember wanting anything else - ever. There are a trillion reasons why I shouldn't. Why I should pull away right now. But all I can think of is my lips on hers. And we're so close to each other. It's gonna happen. I close my eyes. I want it to happen. I need it to hap-

Suddenly, a car honking kills it for the both of us. My eyes pull open. The light turned green. Liv pulls away, her eyes lowering. I don't think either of us processed what was gonna happen - we were just gonna do it.

I drive past the light.

Maybe it's better that we were snapped back into reality.

Olivia's POV

"Hi," I fold my hands in my lap.

I've been 'sleeping' for the last couple of hours, only to avoid talking to Fitz. I knew that once I had to stop faking, it would be awkward for the both of us. But we just passed the LA city sign and I know that we're gonna be here soon, so I might as well break the ice.

"Hey," Fitz smiles tightly and I can tell he's just as uncomfortable as I am.

We almost freaking kissed. I can't really digest the fact that I was up and ready to kiss an engaged guy. If it wasn't for that car behind us, I probably would have. And I probably wouldn't have regretted it - which scares me.

"Are we gonna talk about it?" I ask blatantly.

Fitz grimaces. "We don't have to. Really." He pauses before sighing. "Unless you want to. I don't want you to think that I am that type of guy...who pulls shit like that and just forgets about it. Because I haven't. Forgotten about it, you know?"

I stare at him. "First of all, you didn't pull anything. I instigated...that, just as much as you did. And..." I take a deep breath. "It's okay. We don't have to talk about it."

Fitz doesn't say anything and neither do I. I can't imagine how he must be feeling and I can't help but to feel guilty. He's engaged and I shouldn't have given him any reason to almost kiss me. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Fitz smiles gently. He gestures to the dashboard. "Look. We're almost here."

I follow his eyes. Los Angeles, from what I can see, is beautiful. And I thought there would be hella traffic, especially since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, but not from what I can see so far. I lean back in my seat and relax a little. "How long has your family been in LA?"

"Forever," Fitz chuckles. "I was born in Beverly Hills and we were literally always here."

"What does your dad do?" I ask. I notice he has never mentioned his mom but I haven't either so I guess that evens the score.

"What doesn't he do?" Fitz mumbles kind of bitterly, making a turn to an exit to get off the highway. I can tell he really doesn't like talking about his father. I guess that makes two of us. He takes a deep breath. "Jerry - or, Big Jerry as everyone calls him - was in the Army. He became a general and well...he was and still is one of the most respected military figures in the west coast."

"I'm guessing he's not too respected by you?"

Fitz laughs. "Wow, you really lay down the hard questions, don't you?" He laughs. "And no. My dad was the only real parental figure I had in my life - besides Cyrus. But we don't get along. We never did."

"Why?" I can't help but ask. I can't imagine anyone not getting along with Fitz. Besides Harrison, of course.

Fitz sighs. "We're not the built the same way. My dad is...he's an asshole. Maybe that's not the best way to address one of two people responsible for bringing you into this world, but whatever." He shakes his head. "Big Jerry is really manipulative. And controlling. It's no wonder him and Mellie see eye to eye on so many things."

I look Fitz. I'm glad I'm not the only one with major family issues. "Your life sounds like hell."

This makes Fitz laugh. "It's like, everyone assumes you got it good just because you have money. And I did, you know? I was that spoiled, rich, country club boy. And I'm not proud of that, but that's the way I was." He pauses. "I was really privileged. Sometimes I think it went to waste on me."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just," Fitz sighs deeply. "I was blessed with money and this caring family. Sometimes they care a little too much, you know? But still. A lot of people don't have that. Maybe it should go to someone a little more grateful."

I think about what he's saying and I realize that I feel that way too. I was born into money and a father who cared about me a bit too much for my own good. And I screwed it all up. "Why aren't you grateful?"

"I am," Fitz shrugs. "For the most part. But...okay, for example, my tuition. I'm not that bright of a guy, so my dad had to pull some strings to get me into Stanford. Even with that, I got no scholarships or financial aid. So I basically bought my way into college." His eyes lower in shame. "And all for nothing."

"What do you mean?" I argue. "Stanford Law is the best possible graduate school you could go to."

"Yeah if you wanted to a lawyer," Fitz mumbles, looking disgusted. "I really don't want to be a lawyer or someone in politics to be honest, Liv."

I can't help but laugh. "Fitz...what the hell do you wanna do then?"

"It's stupid," Fitz looks away.

"I'm sure it's not." I tell him, but honestly I can't imagine him doing anything but law or politics. "Tell me."

"No," Fitz breaks into a grin. "I'll tell you when I uncover some more of your secrets."

I blush. "I don't have any more secrets, Fitz."

"I find that very hard to believe," Fitz smirks.

He pulls into a huge neighborhood with a small fountain in front of a sign that reads, 'Upper Laurel Canyon'. As we pass through the neighborhood, I find that the houses are literal mansions. I gape out the window. Fitz laughs.

I stare back at him. I knew he was well off, but not rich enough to live in one of these houses. Damn. Rich in Baltimore means you have a house and more than one car. I guess here in Beverly Hills, it's a different definition.

"You live here?" I can't my eyes off the rows of mansions on the side of the near empty, freshly paved road. The driveways of the mansions are occupied with Ferraris, Porsches and sports cars I can't even begin to recognize.

"All my life." Fitz mumbles, kind of resentfully.

I'm drooling over all these fancy houses and Fitz isn't even batting an eye. "How could you ever want to leave here?"

That makes him laugh. "You haven't met my family yet."

That makes me uneasy and Fitz notices. He touches my arm warmly before riding up the road and pulling into the house at the very end. It's on top of a huge hill and everyone is already out in the yard.

"Okay," he looks at me and smiles tightly. I can tell he's just as nervous as me and I don't blame him. He squeezes my arm. "Let's go."