The next few days are a little off for Fitz and Olivia. She has been abnormally quiet, not silent but she hasn't said much. She picked up a few extra shifts at the diner, covering for a girl on vacation. They haven't talked about what is bothering her but he knows it has to do with what Russell told her. She knew he had been with a lot of women but she didn't know exactly what that meant.

Fitz isn't proud of his behavior but for the longest time he was chasing anything to fill this void in his life. That void he knows was Liv as more than his friend. For a long time he would screw anyone willing, and he didn't care where. He knows he needs to tell her everything. She doesn't deserve to hear it from someone else, especially not out of someone else's anger. He is scared she will pull away from him once they have the talk, which is why he hasn't pushed her into it yet. Although he has never cheated on a woman, he also hasn't treated women well, aside from Liv. Least of all the random hook ups. That is one of the things he knows will bother her.

He takes a sip of his drink, pacing the apartment. He isn't sure when she will be home. The shifts she has picked up are different than her normal ones. Plus she has been working longer hours, probably to avoid this talk too. He can't handle the strain that is now present int their lives, he plans to bite the bullet and force her to talk when she gets home, if she ever gets home. She left for work before he woke up,its now 3:00. She has even been short in her text messages. One or two word responses, never an initiating text either.

A few hours later he's starting to think she doesn't plan to come home for a while. Panic starts to set in as he reads the clock, 6:00. She's been gone for at least twelve hours. He starting to feel like he's losing her, he could kill Russell. At the same time, he should have told her everything, she deserves to know his mistakes from him. He texts Abby asking is she has heard from Liv, she tells him she has but she was wanting some alone time for a little while. He is crushed, he doesn't know what that means. All he does know is she is taking time away from him, she didn't want to see him. He sits on the couch resting his head in his hands, slightly shaking. It has taken him so long to get her, now he is faced with the possibility of losing her, over his own reckless choices. This is how Olivia finds him around 7:00 when she walks through the door.

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That morning:

Olivia quietly leaves the bed, hurrying to get dressed for work before Fitz wakes up. She throws her hair in a messy bun, barely putting any make up on before making her exit. She feels guilty for avoiding him. Olivia has always been an insecure person, you can thank the "friends" in her life growing up. She was always afraid to trust anyone with information because she would inevitably end up as the butt of some joke. When it came to boys, she was so inexperienced that some "friends" would use that as material for teasing her. She never felt as pretty as those around her. Her family didn't have money like those around her. She tried hard to keep from letting the words of others get to her but here she is a grown woman, letting the distant echo of taunting voices play in her head.

She feels guilty because Fitz had told her how many women he has been with, but what he didn't tell her was circumstances. She needs to know but she is scared. She now worries if she is satisfying him, he has so many women to compare her to. The idea of comparison is eating at her. He said it was because he wasn't happy, and she understands that. It hurts her heart to think of Fitz with other women. It shouldn't, its just a simple fact of life, but sex was sacred to her. Hearing how cavalier he has been makes her sick to her stomach. She knows it is something she has to get over, but she doesn't know how to do that just yet.

So she has taken the coward's way out of it. Working more hours and keeping busy without him. They've talked very little in the last few days, which is all her doing. Today she picked up two shifts as a way to keep some distance. She works nonstop for nearly twelve hours before leaving the diner. She did really well on tips the last few days, which is a bright spot in her current situation.

As she leaves the diner she decides to call her mother. She needs someone to talk to that is more removed from the situation than Abby. Olivia and her mother don't speak often, she lives about thirty minutes away with her new husband, Tom. After her parents split, Olivia fell through the cracks. Both parents trying to move on with their lives, she was left to fend for herself for the most part. She bounced back and forth between parents each week. Some times she wouldn't even see her parents during their respective weeks. Each out trying to build a new social life. They work all day and find things to do at night. She was fourteen when her parents split, all she did was get in the way of her parents activities. They each help to pay her school expenses but it's honestly not much. Olivia is lucky she earned a lot of scholarship money based on her academic abilities and achievements. She tried not to hold anything against her parents but she's felt alone most of her life until Abby and Fitz.

Now she was in need a sounding board. She's never been in a serious relationship and Abby is much too close to be objective. Taking a deep breath Olivia clicks on her mother's name. After three rings Maya answers "hello"

"Hi Mom"

"Olivia this is a surprise! How are you sweetie?" Her mother sounds happy to hear from her.

"I'm okay. I actually need someone to talk to."

"Oh baby, what's wrong?" Maya is now concerned.

"Let me tell you the whole story before you ask questions okay?" She's nervous. She has never had this kind of conversation with her mother.

"Okay" Maya replies listening intently.

"Well I'm seeing someone. Fitz Grant actually. It's been over a month now, and pretty serious. We actually moved in together due to other circumstances which I can't get into right now. But things have been good. Really good." She takes a breath for courage before continuing. "Mom, I've never slept with anyone until him. But he has a bit of a track record. And it was recently thrown in my face by a jealous guy. Mom I'm upset. The things he's done with women. It makes me sad and I hate it. He's so good to me. He takes such good care of me, knows me better than anyone. He's been perfect, this was all before me but it make my heart sick. What if I don't compare? What if he gets tired of me? I'd die. I love him so much mom" at this point she is in tears, unable to stop them from falling.

"Oh baby. That boy has been in love with you as long as I can remember. You think I didn't pay attention but it was obvious. I know it's hard to think of him with others and you probably imagine it because you can't stop yourself. But if you love him as much as you say you do, you have to let this go. Livvie, you can't hold someone's past against them. That's not fair. If you can't get past this, then you need to break things off with him. You can't be angry and expect things to work out."

Guilt washes over her "I love him mom, I can't let him go"

"Then you have your answer. You need to talk and move on. Has he given you any reason to doubt him?"

"No" she whispers.

"Then talk to him and work this out."

"I've been avoiding him for days." She says sadly.

Maya can tell her daughter is struggling but she needs to grow up and let the past go. "And that is wrong of you. Now go fix your relationship. That poor boy didn't do anything to deserve his girlfriend treating him that way."

"Thank you Mom. Seriously." She smiles.

"Of course baby. I'm always here. Even if you don't think so."

The two say their goodbyes and Olivia decides its time to get home. She quietly enters the apartment to find Fitz sitting on the couch with his head in hands. He's clearly upset and she knows it's all her doing. She shuts the door loud enough to signal her presence.

His head shoots up, looking at her with sad eyes "livvie, baby please talk to me" he pleads.

Walking to sit next to him she simply replies "let's talk"

AN: please don't hate me