Chapter Sixteen

Olivia held back a smirk and counted to five before saying, "Hello Mellie. My name is Olivia and I'm Fitz's girlfriend. Now if you want to throw a fit that I'm here then we will gladly leave. If you want to act like an adult to discuss whatever you need to discuss with Fitz then we will stay. What will it be?"

Mellie was seething inside. How dare this woman come here like she owns the place, she thought. But she knew that this was going to be her only opportunity so she had to play nice…for now.

"Fine. Sit and we can talk," Mellie said.

Fitz pulled out Olivia's chair first before he sat down. He grabbed Olivia's hand unafraid to show affection in front of Mellie. She can say whatever she wants but he wasn't going to play any games. He was ready to pack her bags and send her back to New York.

"So after five years you decide you want to talk. What is there left to talk about? You didn't want to be a wife nor a mother so you left. Your career was more important."

"Now Fitz don't act like you didn't play a part in our breakup. You started to pull away first. I wasn't the only one focused on their career."

"But I wasn't the one who left!" Fitz yelled causing some people to look their way.

Olivia squeezed Fitz's hand and tried to get him to calm down. They couldn't afford to get kicked out.

"So what I left?! I felt trapped and the minute we had Mirabelle, I just couldn't do it. But I'm back now and I deserve chance!"

Olivia was seething. She couldn't believe this woman. She doesn't deserve a single chance to be back in neither Fitz's nor Mira's life.

"You don't deserve anything. You were the one who signed over your parental rights the minute you could. You signed the divorce papers. You have NO right to Mira in any way."

Mellie was over this back and forth between the two of them. This wasn't going the way she pictured it.

"But I made a mistake! I want to see my daughter."

Olivia couldn't take it anymore. She had to say something or else she would really lose it.

"YOUR daughter?! You haven't seen her in five years. Fitz did everything and now you think you can waltz back here demanding to see her after so long?! Do you understand the damage that could do to her?!"

"Who do you think you are talking to about my child?!"

"She isn't yours. You aren't the one who she is calling mommy."

Mellie's jaw dropped.

"Mirabelle is calling you mommy?! Fitz what is this?! Last time I checked you were single."

Mellie glared at the duo. This was going downhill so quickly and she didn't know how to get it together. There is no way that this bitch was going to take Mirabelle away from her. She can have Fitz but not her daughter.

"So you're checking up on me but don't check up on your own daughter and yes Mira is calling her mommy as she should. She has been there for Mira more than you ever have been and ever will. Now are we done here or do you have something else you need to say?"

Mellie folded her arms. She need to go back to the drawing board. She was going to see Mirabelle whether Fitz liked it or not.

"No nothing else. But hear me when I say, I will see Mirabelle with or without your blessing."

Fitz got closer to Mellie and said, "Now hear me when I say, you won't see her at all. Go home and don't come back."

Fitz got up from his seat and grabbed Olivia's hand. The two of them walked out the door without looking back at Mellie. Mellie couldn't believe what just happened. If Fitz thought this was over, he had another thing coming. Mellie just needed to make a phone call to her mother.

XXXXXXX

Fitz and Olivia walked back to the car unsure of what to feel. Fitz couldn't believe Mellie is trying to see Mira. He finally has his life together and Mellie decides she wants to be a mom. He needed to make sure she didn't come close to Mira in any way.

"Hey, you okay?" Olivia asked shaking Fitz from his thoughts.

"I don't know what to feel but I know that I can't lose Mira. She can't decide to just be a mom now. Mira has stability and she has you. I'm not going to let her destroy it."

Fitz looked at Olivia and teared up. This was the love of his life and Mellie was trying to ruin his happiness.

"Baby don't cry. We are going to fight this. She won't get to see Mira. She signed her rights away voluntarily. There's no way a judge will side with her if it gets to that point."

Olivia pulled Fitz into a much needed kiss. Her fingers went straight into his curls pulling him as close as she could. Fitz moaned and pulled away. They couldn't get too carried away in the parking lot and he knew if they continued, he would pull her into the backseat.

"I need to speak to friend of mine who handled my divorce about this. I know this might be a lot but can you come with me?"

Olivia shook her head, "It isn't too much for me. I'm with you every step of the way. Just let me know when and where."

Fitz pecked her lips one more time, "I love you. Let's get out of here and see our girl."

"I love you too Fitz more than I ever though possible."

Olivia laid her head on his shoulder as he drove away. She knew Mellie wasn't going to go away without a fight and she was going to get one. This was her family and she was going to protect them in any way possible.

Mellie went back to her hotel room to gather her thoughts. Everything is now going to be way harder for her. She didn't account for the fact that Fitz was dating anyone let alone someone else taking her place as Mirabelle's mother. She grabbed her phone and looked through Fitz's Instagram which luckily for her wasn't on private. That's when she noticed the pictures.

The first set of pictures were from yesterday at Disneyland. They were in front of the princess castle and Fitz had captioned it, "My girls." There were pictures of Mira's fifth birthday which happened in October which also included this woman named Olivia. "Thank you to everyone who showed up to my little girl's birthday. It was one to remember," the caption said.

The last picture she saw was of Fitz and Olivia in what appeared to be the family beach house which she never went to. How could he take Olivia to the beach house and not her?! They dated and were married for years and he always found some excuse not to go. She threw her phone onto the bed and let out a scream. She took a couple of deep breaths and that's when her phone rang. She knew it was her mother before she even picked up the phone.

"Hello mother."

"Hello Mellie. Now let's skip the chit chat and get straight to the point. How did everything go?"

"It was a disaster! First of all, he has a new girlfriend so I can't get him back and second of all, he won't let me see Mira."

"I told you time and time again that this would happen. You can't even legally see Mira since you signed away your rights. You are such an idiot. When you signed those papers you should have consulted me now it's biting you in the ass."

"Mom what am I supposed to do now?!"

"You are going to get yourself together and meet my friend who is an attorney out in that area. You will go to court if you have to but you will fight for this. You will not let Mirabelle slip away like you let Fitz."

"I won't. I have an image to protect and the minute people find out I have a daughter I don't claim it's going to bite me in the ass. I need this promotion."

"I'll send you the number and Mellie don't fuck this up again."

Before she could say anything, her mother hung up the phone. If Fitz wanted a fight, he was going to get a fight.

XXXXXXX

Fitz and Olivia pulled into the driveway of his home. The car ride back to his home was filled of discussion about what the next move was. Fitz made the phone call to his friend Harrison who was going to look over his divorce papers once again. They were going to meet on Wednesday afternoon once both Olivia and Fitz were off of work. For now, the two of them were going to enjoy the rest of their Sunday. Mellie would be pushed to the side until then.

The two of them walked through the door to find Katherine and Mira in the living room watching a movie.

"Hey guys what are you watching?" Fitz asked as him and Olivia sat on the couch. He pulled Olivia in closer to him so they were cuddling.

"Shhh…daddy no talking." Mira said as she moved from Katherine's lap to Olivia's side.

"Oh I'm sorry." Fitz said as he tried not to laugh at his daughter's sassy response. Turns out they were watching Inside Out which was one of Mira's favorites.

Katherine looked at Fitz and the two of them silently decided to go into the kitchen to discuss what happened. Olivia saw the looks and nodded to Fitz as he got up to follow his mother into the kitchen.

"Based on the fact that you look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, I'm guessing things with Mellie aren't over."

"Let's sit in the backyard. I don't want Mira to accidentally hear this."

The two of them went outside and sat on the porch swing.

"Unfortunately Mellie isn't leaving without a fight. It was a mess. She wants to see Mira but I said she had no right to. I know she's going to fight me with this. I don't know if she will take me to court or just threaten me until she gets what she wants."

Katherine sighed. She knew this was going to happen. Mellie was never the type of woman to just leave without trying every possible way to get her way.

"If she thinks she is going to see my granddaughter then she is sadly mistaken. She signed her rights away! Do you think she will be able to reverse that after five years?!"

"I don't know. I called up Harrison to see if we could meet this week. Olivia and I are meeting with him on Wednesday. He's going to stop by here. We figured that would be the easiest."

"Okay good. Let me know if you need me to take Mira for the evening."

"Thanks mom and not just for today but for everything."

Katherine looked at her son and shook her head, "You don't have to thank me for anything. I'm your mother and I'll always be here for you. Now let's get back to your girls. I'm sure they are waiting on us to get back.

The two of them went back inside to find Olivia and Mira asleep on the couch. It seems like the adventures of the day had tired them both out. Fitz's heart felt like it was bursting. He took out his phone and took a picture of his girls. This was the kind of mom Mira deserved and he will be damned if Mellie ruined it.

Monday came and went with no word from Mellie but Fitz knew that didn't mean she wasn't planning her next move whatever that may be. It was currently Tuesday afternoon and Olivia had her class out on the playground for the thirty minute recess.

Olivia was currently with Quinn who had her students out at the same time. It was a cool November afternoon and Olivia kept glancing over to Mira who was playing with a girl who was in Quinn's class. She smiled as she saw Mira waited for her friend to finish tying her shoe. The duo headed over to the swings where they were taking turns pushing each other.

"Miss Liv, Miss Quinn!" Two boys came running over to them. Apparently they were playing with the soccer ball and one of them fell scrapping their knee. Olivia sat them on the bench and grabbed the first aid kit teachers always had out during recess in case of accidents. Once she finished with them, she looked around to make sure she had a count of all her students. She started to panic when she couldn't find Mira and her friend.

Right when she was going to ask Quinn if she could help her look for them, she spotted Mira by the fence talking to Mellie. What the fuck, Olivia thought. She knew she had to put a stop to it.

"Quinn watch over everyone while I take care of something," Olivia said as she ran over to where Mira was. She could hear Mellie's voice getting louder as if she was about to start yelling.

"Mira come here sweetie. I'm going to take you home. I'm your mommy." She heard Mellie say.

"You are not mommy."

"Yes I am."

"No mommy is mommy Liv. I don't know you."

"Oh sweetie. She's not your mommy. I am."

"You're a stranger."

As Olivia got closer she could see that Mira was about to start crying.

"Leabe me alone."

"Mira get over here now!"

Olivia ran the rest of the way and picked up Mira.

"Excuse me but you are on private property and you should leave before I call the cops. You are not supposed to be here Mellie. You have no right."

Mira started to cry into Olivia's shoulder. Mira didn't know who this strange lady was and she didn't like her. Liv was her mommy not her.

"I have every right to see my daughter!"

Olivia knew she couldn't attack Mellie no matter how much she wanted to. She held Mira tighter in her arms.

"You lost any right you had now leave."

Mellie could see that another teacher was looking over to them. She knew she had to leave before getting the police involved. She didn't need to make the situation worse.

"Fine I'll leave but this isn't over yet. Bye Mirabelle. I love you baby."

"Don't speak to her now leave."

Mellie huffed and walked away from the playground. Olivia couldn't believe what just happened. She never thought that Mellie would have the guts to show up at Mira's school and have any contact with her. She knew she needed to call Fitz during lunch but first she needed to comfort Mira.

"Hey baby, it's okay. I'm here." Olivia took her to the benches near the swings and away from everyone else.

"She…said…she…was…mommy." Mira hiccuped as she spoke to Olivia.

"Oh honey she's not mommy okay. I'm sorry you got scared. But it's going to be okay. Do you want to call daddy?" Olivia brushed her hair back and drying her tears.

"Yes pwease. I want daddy."

"Okay let's call daddy."

Olivia left her kids with Quinn knowing that she will be able to handle it while she went back to her room to call Fitz.

"Hey baby. Is everything okay?"

"Hey. Before I say anything you need to stay calm for Mira's sake."

"Liv you're scaring me. Is she okay?"

"Mellie was here –"

Fitz cut her off before she could say anything else.

"SHE WHAT"

"Fitz calm down. She was here. I took the students out for recess and she somehow found out where Mira goes to school. She scared Mira by saying she's her mom. You need to talk to her."

"Fuck. Of course she found out. We can't wait until tomorrow to meet Harrison. I'm going to see if he can come by today."

"Before you do that talk to your daughter. She needs you."

"Of course. Hand her the phone."

Olivia sat down next to Mira and handed her the phone.

"Hi lovebug. How are you?"

Mira's tears started all of again once she heard her daddy's voice.

"Daddy…mean lady…" she couldn't say much more because she kept crying. She wanted her daddy and she wanted him now.

Fitz's heart broke listening to his daughter cry on the phone and he knew that he had to go pick her up. He couldn't be at work while his daughter was traumatized by this.

"Lovebug it's okay, don't cry. I'm going to go pick you up okay. Give mommy the phone back and I'll see you soon."

"Okay daddy. Lobe…you."

"I love you too. I'll see you soon."

Mira handed Olivia the phone where Fitz told her that he was going to leave work to pick Mira up. After what happened there's no way Mira would be able to concentrate on anything. Olivia agreed and while she wishes she could leave with them, she had to stay and finish the day.

Quinn brought her students back inside and Olivia set everyone on the mat for reading time. It was best to try and continue through the routine of the day while she waited on Fitz to pick Mira up. About twenty minutes later, Fitz was at the door and as much as she wanted to rush to him, Olivia stayed professional and let him help Mira get her things while she continued with her class. She waved goodbye to them and she was already counting down the minutes until she can see them again.

The rest of the day dragged on for Olivia but finally the last parent arrived to pick up their child and Olivia packed up her things and headed straight to Fitz's house. She kept thinking that she needed to do something to help Fitz. It wasn't enough to go to court. It could easily go in Mellie's favor since she is the biological mother. After calling Abby for advice the two of them believed it was time to call in a favor from a college friend of theirs named Huck. He was pretty good at hacking into computers and maybe he could find something that they could use against Mellie.

Olivia wasn't going to tell Fitz about this just yet. He had enough to worry about and she didn't want to get his hopes up. She texted Huck and gave him all the information she knew about Mellie. He texted her back saying to give him 24 hours to gather any information he could. Olivia pulled into Fitz's driveway and she could breathe a little easier knowing that she could possibly have the upper hand.

Before Olivia could knock on the door, Fitz opened it for her pulling her into a hug.

"One minute please."

"One minute."

The two of them just stayed there in silence, breathing each other in. It was an intense day for the both of them.

"Harrison is in the kitchen and Mira is upstairs taking a nap. I know it's a little late for one but she basically cried herself to sleep."

"Oh god I'm sorry Fitz. I should've just kept an eye out on her better."

"Hey don't apologize. You have other kids to watch too and it's not like we knew Mellie would show up."

Olivia dropped her bags on the couch and followed Fitz into the kitchen where she met Harrison. She liked him already. He was straight to the point and wasn't going to bullshit Fitz around.

"So I was reviewing your divorce papers again since it's been so long and they are just like I remembered. Mellie gave you sole custody and she signed over her rights. Now while people might think this is one and done, some judges might sympathize with Mellie and offer her a chance to see Mira."

"How can that be? She hasn't seen Mira since she was a baby."

"It happens and again it will depend on the type of judge we get. What I will say is that you have a lot of things in your favor. You have given Mira stability for the past five years and now you are dating someone who Mira is clearly comfortable with."

Olivia smiled at Harrison's comment but she was still worried. She just hoped Huck would find something to make Mellie go away.

"Mellie came by the school and basically scared Mira to death. She wanted to take her from school grounds. Could that be used against her?" Oliva asked.

"It can be. She was basically going to kidnap a child who she has no legal rights to. Did anyone see this confrontation?"

"My co-worker Quinn Perkins was there. I'm sure she wouldn't mind testifying or whatever you need her to do if need be."

"Okay that's good." Harrison took notes of what Olivia said. He needed to gather as much information as he could.

"Is there anything else?" he asked.

"No I think we covered everything. Thanks for coming by on such short notice. I know we planned for tomorrow but with this situation happening we wanted to cover all of our bases."

Harrison packed up his stuff and shook Fitz's hand.

"Don't worry about it. You know if I can help you in any way I will. I'll keep in touch. Remember to document any time she comes by announced."

"Thanks man."

"It was nice to meet you, Olivia."

"It was nice to meet you too."

They said their goodbyes and Harrison was gone. Olivia and Fitz made their way onto the couch. Both of them worried about what's to come but they knew that Harrison had it handled. For now they needed to focus on Mira and making sure she is okay.

Across town Mellie was meeting with her own attorney and getting ready to submit papers to the court system. After what happened at the school, she knew that there was no way she was getting Mira unless she took it up with a judge. Luckily her mom had great connections and was able to meet with one of the top attorneys in the city named Mark Brooks.

"So Mellie after reviewing everything, I'm not going to sugarcoat this. You have a difficult case but we just need to be in front of a sympathetic judge to who could give you a chance," Mark said.

"How long could this take?! I need to see my daughter now," Mellie was agitated after this day. She just wanted to see Mirabelle and take her to New York for a week or two.

"I can't tell you it's going to be easy. There could be multiple court dates. What you need to do is find a place here. Judges also don't like instability and with you being on the other side of the country, it doesn't look good."

Mellie was not happy with what Mark was saying but as an attorney herself, she knew she had to do what he said.

"Fine. That shouldn't be a problem. I'll start looking for a house now but you need to submit those papers ASAP. I don't have time to waste."

"Don't you worry. I will file these now and get Mr. Grant served in the morning."

"Thank you for your help Mark and I look forward to hearing from you soon."

Mellie walked out with her head held high. Fitz didn't know what was coming and for the first time she had the upper hand. She just hoped that her mom would be able to bribe a judge to get her way.

XXXXXX

Morning came too quickly for the Grant family. Mira was still shaken from the day before so she was going to be spending the day with Katherine. Fitz really didn't want to leave Mira but he knew he couldn't miss out on work especially with Thanksgiving break coming soon.

"Okay mom, I'm leaving. Mira is still in bed. She didn't sleep well so she's in my bed. Please call if you need anything."

Fitz was rushing out the door since he overslept this morning. He was up with Mira most of the night and it made his blood boil thinking about how traumatized Mira was about Mellie. He hoped that it would pass in the next couple of days and that Mellie would be gone soon. He was just worried about what she had planned.

"Don't worry Fitz. I have it handled. You just head out now before you're even more late."

"Okay I'm going. Love you."

Right as Fitz opened the door, a man in a grey suit walked up to him.

"Mr. Fitzgerald Grant?"

"Yes and you are?"

"You've been served."

The man handed over an envelope and walked away. Fitz quickly opened up the envelope to find the documents he was dreading. Mellie was seeking to get her parental rights back. He wanted to go back inside to his mother but he knew he had to go to work. He decided to call Olivia who was the only person beside his mom to calm him down.

"Hey babe. How was Mira this morning?" Olivia said as she answered the phone.

"She's doing okay. She was asleep when I left but I'm calling you because I just got served with court papers. Mellie is seeking to get her parental rights back. I'm one step away from finding her and ending this once and for all."

"Fitz, you can't go out and find her. Call Harrison and let him know that you got served papers. See if you can meet up for lunch and put in a counter-petition. Don't do anything that can make it worse. Think rationally about this."

Fitz sighed. He knew that Olivia was right and he couldn't do anything stupid. This is why Olivia was perfect for him. She talked him off the ledge unlike other people.

"Fitz you there?" Olivia was worried when he didn't respond.

"I'm here. I was just thinking about how you are right. I can't let Mellie under my skin. Do you think you can meet me for lunch?"

"I wish I could but I have a meeting that I can't miss but text me right after. You and Mira can come over for some dinner too."

"Okay I will. Mira would love that and so would I. I love you and I'll see you later."

"I love you too Fitz."

They hung up the phone and Fitz felt a bit lighter after talking to Olivia. This is all he wanted in a partner and he found it.

Olivia wasn't lying to Fitz when she said she had a lunch meeting. She was going off campus and going to meet Huck to discuss the Mellie situation. Apparently he found more than enough information that could send her packing which was all that Olivia needed to hear.

"Hey Huck. Thanks for doing this and meeting me." Olivia said as she took a seat in front of him. They were at a local diner that was near the school.

"Hey Liv. You know after everything you did for me this was not a big deal."

When Olivia met Huck, he was going through a hard time and was even contemplating suicide. He had just lost his son and wife in a car accident. While they were married rather young because of a teenage pregnancy but they were in love and it devastated Huck when they died. Olivia and Abby helped him get into a program to deal with his depression and now he was happily married once again. He always tells them that he owes them his life because of what they did. In reality, Olivia and Abby just gave him the extra push he needed.

"You never have to thank me for that now what did you find?" Olivia got straight to the point.

"Well when I tell you Ms. Mellie has been busy in New York, she has been EXTREMELY busy. While she is known for a winning streak for her cases at her law firm, it isn't because she's a great attorney."

Olivia was confused by this.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean her mother has been paying off judges to make sure that they lean in Mellie's direction. Not all the time but majority of it. Not only that but she's been having an on and off affair with the top attorney at her job."

Huck laid out all the documentation that he had found out on the table. Olivia couldn't believe what she was reading. This was just the information that she needed to get rid of Mellie. There was no way she can stay around now. If she did, Olivia wouldn't hesitate in exposing her. She had a family to protect and she will do anything to protect it.

"Wow this is a lot. Is there anything else?"

Huck pulled out his phone and pulled up a recording.

"There is one thing. The only reason she's back is to get a boost in her career. Her mother has been pushing it too. I managed to hack into her phone and gather recordings of her and her mom."

This was the jackpot and Olivia didn't think it would go so well.

"This is fantastic Huck. I could kiss you right now!"

Huck laughed at her reaction. "Can't have you doing that. I'm a married man."

Olivia laughed and hugged him. This was going to put the nail on Mellie's coffin.

"Thank you so much for your help. Send me those recordings please. I have to go now. Class is going to start soon."

"Already sent them and I sent you the address of the hotel that she's staying in."

Olivia smiled. Huck knew her next move and she appreciated him taking that next step.

"Thanks again. I owe you one."

Olivia walked out with her head held high. She was going to meet Mellie before dinner with Fitz and put an end to this once and for all.

AN: It's almost all over with Mellie, I promise! I have loved reading your reactions to her coming back and what people think might happen. I appreciate everyone trusting me with this specific storyline. Happy times will be coming. Until next Monday!

XOXO