A/N - Hi guys, thanks for reading and reviewing. I just wanted to clarify a few things. One reviewer asked who Sahara was: she's Olivia's goddaughter. Another one of my favorite reviewers also thought that maybe Sahara could have been Olivia and Fitz's secret child: she isn't. I'm also going to address what happened in Iran in a few chapters but as a heads up, I wanted you to know that there was no sexual assault. Thank you guys so much, I want to shower each and every one of you with much love and gratitude for continuing to read and review, this is my catharsis. I'm also writing new chapters of vision. XOXO.

One week later.

Fitz and Cyrus sat in the oval waiting on the news of the vote to confirm Cyrus in the senate. After a grueling confirmation hearing and meetings with senator after senator throughout the week, they'd finally been able to expedite a vote.

There were a few things going on simultaneously. Sally was out actively campaign against Fitz, luckily no other republican dared to challenge him, all he had to deal with was Sally and the democrats, his interview did send her down in the polls but she was a fighter and that didn't deter her. Mellie was still mum on a response to Fitz interview which was good, the story was dying.

He was set to fly to Aspen in the late night with Olivia to enjoy what was suppose to originally be a one week vacation, now 5 days but he didn't care, he was just grateful for a little time away from D.C. with Olivia.

He and Cyrus were both sipping scotch as they waited, he wasn't nervous but he could tell Cyrus was. They would usually meet with all the staff and aides to get vote counts from the senate but since it was a special vote in this case, they decided to meet alone.

"Cy, you're my next Vice President, there is no way they don't confirm you so don't worry."

"Yeah, but it's gonna be close."

"You're going to sail through Cy, you're qualified, you're smart, you're the best man to be my Vice President, I made that clear to everyone, they won't deny you."

"They're senators Fitz, some of them aren't too bright-"

Fitz's phone rang as Cyrus spoke, they knew it was the call they'd been waiting for and Fitz picked up and listened on the line.

He kept his disposition unreadable to torture Cyrus.

"Thank you," Fitz said as he hung up.

Cyrus sighed.

"I knew it, there is no way they confirm a gay man to the vice presidency, I'll go back to the list of original picks," Cyrus stood and threw back the rest of his scotch, "this is what I get for being a fucking optimist."

Fitz smiled.

"The vote was 91-9 Cy, you're in, congratulations Vice President Beene."

The look on Cyrus' face was priceless, it was one of utter shock and joy.

Fitz stood up and gave Cyrus a bear hug.

"Congrats Cy."

"Thanks, I don't know what to say, I'm just trying to digest it."

"Good-"

He heard a knock in his door and assumed it was the aides coming to congratulate Cyrus.

"Come in."

About 30 staff members entered with balloons and champagne. They cheered and took turns congratulating Cyrus. Fitz stood back and let Cyrus have his moment.

They wasted no time, they had his swearing in ceremony in the rose garden by 3pm and made it official with full press coverage and Cyrus' first interview as Vice President by 5pm.

In the week that led up to the confirmation, Fitz met with several chief of staff prospects but he left the second round interviews to Cyrus, he wasn't really taking the new chief of staff appointment serious because he was sure Cyrus would still function as his chief of staff only now he had more authority. They really only needed a filler in the spot for the purpose of appearances.

The day was long and eventful, but Fitz was really looking forward to the night. He already had his clothes packed by staff and taken to AF1 from earlier in the day. Almost 70 people including secret service would be accompanying them which was less than the usual 150 but he planned on keeping them as far away as possible. Unfortunately, being president meant you got no real vacation, he'd still have to get daily briefings and be on call for anything even slightly out of the ordinary so he needed a full staff around him in case of an emergency, it was presidential protocol.

As he waited for the press corp to leave, he showered and prepared to head to joint base Andrews and meet Olivia on AF1.

Olivia spent most of the day agonizing over what to pack for the trip. She knew Fitz was full of surprises, so I case they needed to go out, she brought a couple dresses and heels but she mostly packed hiking attire, loungewear and swimwear even though she didn't plan in touching a pool and lingerie, after all, it was his birthday week and she had him all to herself and she planned on taking full advantage of that but she also had a lot to talk with him about. After one week of being back on schedule with Savannah, she was feeling good, she wanted to share with him and she also wanted him to share with her and she was excited to see where that would take them. She also spent quite a while figuring out what to get Fitz. It was difficult because he had everything but she came up with something that she was sure would surprise him and she couldn't wait to give it to him.

She left for the airbase a little after 7pm, when Fitz told her he was on his way to leaving the White House. When she got to AF1 , she was surprised that there were so many people on board. There was no press but a lot of staff. Fitz told her there would be staff but she had no idea that it would be that many especially since it was a vacation trip and not official business.

Josh led her to the living quarters which seemed less like an airplane cabin and more like the presidential suite at the Ritz. He set her bags down in the corner and excused himself and left her alone.

She had been on AF1 once and it was when Fitz came to New York to get her and she'd been in a pretty general room filled with staff so she never really saw much of the plane. She took a moment to look around the huge room, she kicked off her sandals and dropped herself on the huge bed and stared at the ceiling.

After a while, she dozed off and it wasn't until she felt someone staring at her the she opened her eyes. Fitz was sitting directly over her, staring at her with a smile in his face. He leaned down her pecked her on the lips.

"Wake up sleeping beauty," he teased.

"Ferme ta grande bouche," she said lazily.

"Did you just tell me shut up in the sexiest way ever."

She smiled and pulled his face down for another soft kiss.

"Coupable."

Fitz smirked.

"Stop that, you're definitely making me hard."

"Maybe that's what I wanted."

She pulled his body on top of hers and wrapped her legs around him.

"This is your week, birthday boy, you get whatever you want."

She had her hands cupped around his cheeks and gazed directly at him as she spoke.

"What if I want everything?"

"It's your birthday week, you get whatever you want."

Fitz smiled and reached under her summer dress and tried to pull down her underwear, but there were none.

His mouth fell open and then curved into a smile.

"You naughty, naughty girl."

Olivia chuckled and pulled his face down and kissed him.

There was no rush as they kissed, it was soft, slow, lazy and most of all, wet. Time passed, she wasn't sure how much, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30, she lost track before she felt Fitz rock hard and inside her. They made slow love, there was no sense of urgency, they had the entire week to themselves and they were going to relish in every second of it.

As they both laid on the bed, breathing heavily from their orgasms, Olivia realized it was very well possible that the large crew onboard could have heard them.

"Fitz do you think anyone heard us?" She wondered aloud.

"Uhmm… maybe."

She laughed.

"Why do you have so many people here, I thought this was a vacation."

They had long since taken off and had been in the air for some time.

"In case a crisis breaks out, I need to have adequate staff to deal with it."

"Yeah but there are like 50 people here and that's just what I saw."

"And there's a second plane, it took off ahead of us."

"First of all, it's like the freaking starship enterprise in here, why do you need another plane?"

"It's a cargo plane, it holds the bulletproof cars, etc."

"Oh okay."

She snuggled closer to Fitz and rested her head on his chest.

"I'm so excited, I think this is going to be the best week ever."

Fitz smiled.

"Only cause you're here."

She chuckled softly.

"Well your right of course, but tell me, what are we going to do?"

"What do you have planned for my birthday?"

"Mes lèvres sont scellées."

"Your lips are sealed?"

She smiled.

"Oui, your French is getting better."

"You're a good teacher," Fitz said as he gave her a soft kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too babe, when I'm done with you, you won't want to leave Aspen."

Fitz nodded in agreement.

The flight landed just before 2 in the morning. They drove a few hours to Fitz's cottage in Aspen. Olivia fell asleep in the car so Fitz decided not to wake her and instead carried her to the bedroom and then joined her in sleep shortly after.

The next morning when Olivia woke up, it was bright and sunny out. She turned and felt for Fitz but he was gone from the bed. She sat up and looked around at the cabin. The walls were made of stone, there was a small fireplace in the bedroom and she could see the trees and hills outside because one of the walls was completely replaced by glass. There was also a bathroom in the bedroom and it made her wonder how big the cabin was.

She decided she wanted to explore the rest of the house and find Fitz. As she stood up from the bed, she saw her bags in the corner of the room and instead choose to brush her teeth and shower before she began her little exploration.

Once she finished showering and threw on some shorts and a t shirt, she opened the bedroom door and set out.

The moment she opened the door, she saw Fitz with a group of staff and advisers. They were obviously having some kind of meeting or briefing.

"Woah," she blurted out and then covered her mouth.

Fitz stood up and smiled at her then turned back to the staff.

"I think we're good here, as usual keep me posted and we'll meet here same time tomorrow."

The group nodded and filed out, so did secret service.

"Morning Liv, are you ready for what I expect to be a very tiring day," he said as he walked over and kissed her.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What are we going to be doing?"

"We're hiking."

"That sounds fun, I'm excited."

She could have guessed that's what he planned based on his attire, he was clad in camo cargo pants, a t shirt and hiking boots.

"I am hungry though."

Fitz smiled.

"I figured, Edie made breakfast, it's in the kitchen."

"As much as I appreciate the breakfast, no staff is allowed, just you and me, I'll put up with your briefings in the morning or whatever but that's it, this is a vacation after all, no work, I won't be working so you won't be working."

"Yes ma'am - sidebar: who's gonna cook us food?"

"Me," she said with a smile.

"You can cook?"

"Of course I can, you didn't know that?"

"I mean, I knew you made really great sandwiches and breakfast food."

She laughed.

"I can cook- come on, let's see what Edie made."

Fitz let her to the kitchen and as she expected, there was a full breakfast spread with a whole bunch of food that was too much for them to eat. She chuckled to herself and sat with him at the table and nibbled at a few different things.

"So are you gonna give me a tour before the hike?" She asked as she stuffed a slice of bacon in her mouth.

"Yeah, sure, grab a plate and walk with me, I'll show you around."

"Okay," Olivia said with a smile as she fixed herself a plate with fruits and bacon.

Once she was done, she followed behind Fitz through a tour of the cabin, it was a little bigger than she expected but it was perfect and cozy with wood floors and stone walls. Some of the ceiling was open glass for full view of the sky, most of the walls to the outside were glass a well. It had a sleekness to it that juxtaposed how comfy it felt. There was a larger fireplace in the living room with candles all around it and beside the fireplace was a small indoor jacuzzi retrofitted into the floor.

As she stood in the living room musing at the design of the cabin, she felt Fitz smiling beside her.

"You should see the look on your face," he teased.

"It really is beautiful in here."

Fitz smiled and held her hand and led her outside. He showed her the pool that had a small artificial, rock paved waterfall flowing into it. The land the cabin was built in was slightly elevated at the base of the hill, enough for her to see the town a few miles away. Behind the cabin, was the green, forested hill. The was a lot of land surrounding the cabin but she wasn't sure how much of it Fitz owned.

Fitz let her look around for a while as she nibbled on the fruit on her plate.

"You ready to go hiking?"

She turned around and smiled.

"Yep, just let me get in the gear."

"Okay."

They both headed back to the bedroom where Olivia prepared for their hike. Fitz was already dressed for it so he helped her spray on bug spray and helped her lace up her hiking boots. She wore little shorts and a white t shirt.

"You ready?"

"Yep, all set baby."

Fitz smiled and kissed her.

"Let's go."

He took her hand and led her up the trail in her hill. They hiked for an hour until they reached the top. Olivia was surprised to see a whole bunch of camping equipment gathered at a small opening in the woods.

"What's this?" She asked Fitz.

"We're gonna spend the afternoon setting up camp and then we're gonna hang out up here all night."

"What about food?"

"Don't worry, I wouldn't let you starve, food is in one of these bags."

Olivia laughed.

"Perfect, let's get to it- by the way, I'm an expert at setting up camp."

"Please, I lived in a camping tent for most of my teens."

"We'll see," Olivia challenged.

As the worked together to set up camp, it was a rather advanced tent so it took them sometime, all the while they bantered back and forth. After the tent was set up, they brought food in the tent and ate lunch and then went back to fixing up camp. By evening, it was time to set up a campfire. Olivia gathered small stones in a circle and Fitz took a twig and ignited a fire.

"Woah, who taught you how to build a fire?"

Fitz chuckled.

"I was a Boy Scout, I learned a few things."

Olivia walked over to the tent and grabbed the small bag of marshmallows, skewers, chocolate and graham cracker so they could make s'mores.

They sat around the campfire, roasting their marshmallows. It was dusk, violet and blue filled the evening sky.

"Are you excited to start working in your lab?"

"Yes, I am so excited, I must warn you though, I tend to sort of get a little invested, if you know what I mean."

Fitz smiled.

"What do you mean?"

"Once I find something interesting I tend to go down the rabbit hole and it's hard for me to break my attention from it until I finish, so I'll probably be at the lab a lot, late nights and stuff."

Fitz nodded, he wasn't excited that she'd be unavailable sometimes but it was what she loved doing so he'd support her.

"So who's gonna be helping you, at the lab."

"I wanted Harry because he knows more about my research and experiments than anyone, well except for Daniel and Professor Confessore but Abby won't let him, so I'm gonna hire a bunch of lab assistants."

"Who is professor Confessore?"

"He's a very distinguished math and physics professor, he's worked for Cambridge and MIT. I started working with him when I was 5, he was fascinated by me and he was my math tutor and overall mentor until I surpassed him. We worked together a lot over the years, he really pushed me to work on the millennium problems and helped me with my research at MIT."

"What are the millennium problems?"

She smiled and squeezed her roasted marshmallow I between two graham crackers and took a bite.

"They're pretty much some of the hardest problems in math, there were originally seven unsolved problems but Grigori Perelman solved the Poincaré conjecture, I solved the other 5 but I haven't published them, I'm still working on the P versus NP which is the last equation, I probably could've finished already but I stopped for a couple years and I started working on it back in January but I only really do it in my free time or when I'm bored, you know, for fun."

"Wow, which ones did you do?"

"I did the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture, Hodge conjecture, Navier–Stokes existence and smoothness, Riemann hypothesis, and Yang–Mills existence and mass gap."

"English Liv, please."

She chuckled.

"Sorry. Each equation, depending on how complex it is, can be hundreds of pages long, the Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness equation is 561 pages long."

"That's a math problem?"

"Yes but it's presented as complete proof so it's not just the math, I have to explain it as well, that's why it's so long."

"How did you meet Daniel?"

Olivia was almost certain that question was coming.

"We met at MIT, he was studying molecular and particle physics and I was doing independent research on Stem cells, we met through professor Confessore while we were at MIT, we ended up collaborating on our research and we became friends."

"Do you still work with professor Confessore?"

"No, he was unhappy that I didn't want to publish my solutions to the problems, he doesn't know I solved most of them, he only knows of two, he thought I was a shoe in for a Nobel prize if I did, Fields medals and millennium prize. He started to remind me of my father, he was pushing me too hard and I didn't like that so we parted ways."

"Olivia Pope, Nobel peace prize winner, it has a certain ring to it, don't you think?" He said with a smile.

"It does have a nice ring to it," she said with a smile, "I'm not ruling it out, I just want all 6 problems to be done first, I didn't want to be pushed into it."

"No, I understand, it should be your decision."

She smiled.

"Thanks, I'm almost done anyways, I'm pretty sure I'll get my eureka moment any one of these days."

"I'm sure you will," said Fitz as he gave her a peck on the lips.

"Can I ask you something baby?"

"Sure," she responded.

"I don't think I thought this whole tent thing through, are you going to be okay sleeping in a tent, you know, with everything that happened?"

She smiled.

"Well, I'm with the president and there are like a dozen secret service guards all around us so I think I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I feel perfectly safe," she said with a smile.

Fitz kissed her forehead and smiled.

"Good."

Olivia smirked and dropped her skewer in the campfire and grabbed Fitz's hand.

"Come on, let's go, we have a perfectly comfy tent waiting for us."

Fitz dropped his skewer as well and followed her to the tent. They took off their shoes and laid flat on the floor. Olivia laid facing Fitz with her leg thrown over his body. She traced her fingers all over his face and squeezed his nose to annoy him and then she grabbed his face and kissed his lips.

"You're annoying," he said with a smile.

Olivia laughed.

"What are you going to do to stop me?"

By now Olivia had found herself on top of him, straddling him. She held him arms above his head and Fitz almost laughed because she really had no strength at all, he could have easily overtaken her. He entertained her for a while and let her maintain control.

She held him down and peppered him with soft kisses. He loved how affectionate and attentive she was. She started kissing him a little less playfully and a little more erotically, she took her time to suck in his tongue and lips.

Fitz felt the need to overtake her because the teasing became too much. He pulled his arms from her grip almost laughably easily and wrapped his arms around her waist and held her body tightly against his and kissed her.

Olivia slowly eased up and allowed Fitz to pull down her short in one swoop and then she kicked them off. She unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down to his thighs.

She was sitting just above his knees and she leaned over and softly kissed the tip of his hard cock. She felt like playing with him so she took her time and stroked him and listened amusingly as he panted. She ran her tongue up his shaft and licked the curve of his tip.

Fitz cursed, rather loudly.

"Come on baby, ride me," begged Fitz.

Olivia crawled up on top of him and kissed him as she slowly pulled her panties to the side and lowered herself down on him.

Tom, Josh and 10 other agents stood outside their tent. Some were within hearing distance, others were not. Tom and Josh lost count of how many times they had to listen to Olivia and Fitz have sex. While is was uncomfortable and most of the times resulted in accidental boners, they never moved or attempted to get out of hearing distance. It was most uncomfortable when they had to interact with Olivia afterwards, especially Tom who had seen Olivia's breasts on more than one occasion. He was a man after all, they were all men and some responses were only natural and in Tom's case one way to avoid any uncomfortable instances was to never look directly at Olivia. Whenever he glimpsed at her, he would find himself wondering about things he shouldn't wonder about and so he avoided her at all cost not that he ever planned on acting on any urges or dreams he had but he thought it was simply more prudent to play it safe.

He could hear her moaning, breathily, loudly; the way any man would want to hear a woman moan when they were inside her, the kind of moan that would make a man fall in love or become obsessed and he could see why Fitz was both. Tom looked over to Josh who was awkwardly swaying back and forth, no doubt trying to take his mind to any other place.

He could hear Fitz whispering to Olivia how great he thought her vagina was, only it wasn't exactly a quiet whisper and he used much more explicit words. Olivia in returned, mused about how big he was and how much she enjoyed feeling him inside her, everything from the curve of his tip to a vein that run up his shaft and after that Tom really couldn't take it anymore. He was sweating bullets on a rather cool night so he moved far enough away where he was still close but couldn't hear them as clearly and hoped that the agents coming to take watch would arrive soon so he could leave.

Olivia and Fitz finished soon after, though not as soon as he would have liked. He could hear them laughing and kissing, no doubt trying to recover and then as if sent from heaven itself, the night shift guards came to takeover and relieved them. He was saved.