Olivia began sifting around her apartment, she had so much she needed to get done and felt like she had no time to do it. She wasn't exactly sure how long she would be able to hide from Fitz on her own but there was one person he was sure that could disappear her, one person she couldn't stand but if asking him for help meant she got to keep her daughters then that was what she could have to do. She debated whether or not she really wanted to involve him but there really was no choice and after some time she finally dialed him and waited for him to pick up. He picked up on the first ring, as if he knew she would be calling.

"Olivia?"

"I need your help."

"You do?"

"If you aren't going to help me, don't waste my time," she said angrily. Now that she was on the phone with him, all the worst memories of her relationship with him came rushing to the surface.

"No, I'll help you but if I do then you have to agree to start accepting my call again."

"No. I hate you. You either help me and leave me alone or don't help me at all."

"What do you need?"

"I need to leave and need you to make sure no one can find me."

"How soon do you need to go?"

"Tonight."

"That's not much notice Olivia. Are you in danger?"

"No…I don't know," she said as her voice broke. "but I have to leave as soon as I can. It's important."

"Fine. There will be a car in the garage of your apartment tonight."

"Rowan, I have two other -"

"Oh you mean my sweet granddaughters, I know."

Olivia was silent but not surprised he knew.

"What time?"

"8pm and pack as light as possible."

He hung up without another word.

Abby walked into the living room, "who was that?" She asked.

"No one,"

The girls had been up for some time now, thankfully Abby was keeping them busy so she could take care of a few things. She wrote Bonnie a generous severance check and signed her firm over to Abby so that legally she could make important decisions in her absence. She packed two weeks worth of clothes for all three of them . All her nice things would have to stay back, eventually she'd ask Abby to pack them up and put them in storage or send them to wherever she was depending on whether or not she thought it was safe to do so.

It was almost time for her to go, she had two duffel bags packed for her and the girls. She had all important documents in her handbag, she usually kept about 10k worth of cash in her apartment, she took that with her as well, along with all her cards and banking information. Five minutes before the car was scheduled to arrive, she headed down. Abby had peaked out to make sure the guards weren't there.

Exactly a 8pm, a car entered the garage, an all black Suv with tinted windows. The door opened and she threw the duffel bags in and carefully placed the car seats inside and then entered as well. Rowan sat on the opposite side from her and the girls.

"Hello Olivia," he said.

Olivia nodded but couldn't get a word out. He flipped in the light in the back of the car and inspected the girls. "I can't believe you've been keeping my gorgeous granddaughters from me."

Olivia still didn't answer.

"I'm trying here. I know that you have every right to hate me but I'm trying. It's been long enough. The least you can do is have a conversation with me."

"Drive," Olivia said.

He relented and ordered the driver to drive. From then on, silence enveloped them. Rowan stared at the girls intently until about 45 minutes later, the car came to a stop.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Off the coast of Costa Rica, there is a small private island, you can stay there, San Jose is an hour away and the island is 25 minutes away by speedboat. The workers on the island will take care of you and my granddaughters, when they are old enough to go to school, if you still need to be hidden then we'll talk. There is a jet waiting on the runway for you."

Olivia nodded and suddenly Rowan took her hand and kissed it."I screwed up with you and I'm so sorry. You needed a father- not whatever it is I was. Losing your mother destroyed me. I wasn't there to protect her and - when I came home and I saw what that man did to her-"

She turned away and pulled her hands from his, trying her best not to cry. It was overwhelming to hear him say those words after everything he'd done.

"You're not ready to forgive me and I don't blame you. Just promise me you'll think about giving me a chance to get to know you and them."

He helped her out of the car and onto the jet.


Tom walked into the Oval Office. It was still a mess from earlier but the aide did their best to make it look a little more decent.

"Sir, she left the apartment an hour ago."

Fitz looked up from the documents he was reading. He'd spent the entire day making sure everything was prepared for the girls to be able to stay.

"She got on a private jet with your daughters."

"She what? And you let her go?"

"She was accompanied by guards, I didn't want any confrontation with your daughters involved? I have the FAA tracking the flight, once it lands we'll know where she is."

Fitz calmed down. "Okay thanks Tom," Tom nodded and made his exit.


Ten hours later Olivia landed in hot and humid San Jose. A car was there to drop her to the oceanfront and once she got there, a boat was ready to take her to the island. She briefly thought about what impact changing environments would have on Luna but justified it because she would be secluded from most people. It was a smooth ride to the island, it lasted less than half an hour just as Rowan said. The girls were asleep again, they had woken up in the plane and played and screamed and giggled until they fell asleep. The island was beautiful, the sand was white, the water was blue and the air was clear. Banana and coconut trees were abundant. There was a beach house, a modern one, the front was mostly made of white concrete walls. The man who waited for her at the marina took her bags off the boat and then took the car seats off the boats and brought them to the porch with two sleeping girls inside them and then he came back and helped her off. She wasn't sure if he spoke English so she decided to greet him in spanish.

"Hola"

He looked back and nodded.

She walked into the house with the car seats on both arms. There was a huge open space, everything was light and open. There was a huge bed in the middle of the room. She took the girls out of their car seats and laid them on the bed. She would have to figure out a way to get a crib for them but for now the bed would have to do. Lana was a wild sleeper so she would have to watch them carefully. She put pillows at the sides of the bed just in case. When she was finished, she took a look around the house. Her cabinets were stocked with food but nothing appropriate for babies so she made a mental note to take care of that, luckily she packed all the baby food she could manage to carry with her so she would be okay for a while. She was tired from all the traveling and finally after days of struggling to fall asleep, she was still unable to sleep.


Fitz sat in his chair laughing uncontrollably. He couldn't help it, his life was hilarious. It was funny when he heard Olivia ran off with his children, it was even funnier when he found out she went to Costa Rica and now that it was five days later and Tom still couldn't tell him where exactly in Costa Rica she was, it was absolutely hilarious.

"Sir, we know she is in San Jose but I just need a couple more days to find her exact location, my guys are doing their best."

Fitz decided that after 5 days of screaming at him, it wasn't helping but he had no more patience. Everyday that passed felt like an eternity. He was beginning to lose hope that he would find them again which made him desperate.

He'd been trying not to involve Abby for Richard's sake but now he had no choice. If there was anyone in the world who knew where Olivia was- it would be Abby.

"Find her friend and bring her to me in my office in the residence

"I will sir," Tom nodded and headed out.

He felt unbearably angry and he was doing everything possible to stay calm. He still couldn't believe they'd spiraled into this. All he asked for was two days a week and her reaction was explosive and immature and selfish and now he was feeling like the person he thought he knew didn't exist.

Even still, he'd had no desire to keep them away from her, he just needed to actually have a serious conversation with her. He had hoped if nothing else, after he served her court papers she would take him seriously and try to mediate but once again it did the complete opposite. He waited in the oval office, trying to keep himself busy with work and when Tom called him that he was heading back with Abby, he headed to the residence.

He removed his jacket and poured himself a drink and sat on the couch and cock his feet up on the coffee table. He was thankful Karen was in California visiting Titi. The timing had worked perfectly.

He was halfway through his drink when there was a brief knock on the door.

"Come," he called, then took another sip.

Abby walked in and Tom closed the door behind her.

Fitz skipped pleasantries and got to the point. He was exhausted and irritable.

"Where is she?"

Abby waked over to the couch and sat down and dropped her purse on the floor. "Don't worry, they're all safe."

Fitz guffawed, incredulous. "Don't worry, they're all safe. Have you lost your fucking mind?" He barked. "Where are my daughters?"

Abby was shaken by his response.

"I don't know."

"I'm gonna ask you again and if you can't give me an answer. I'm gonna have the secret service drag you out of here and throw you in a cell for aiding and abetting the kidnapping of my children."

Abby's mouth fell open in shock.

"So let me ask again: where the fuck are my daughters."

"I know you're angry and you have every right to be. Olivia should have given you the two days. We don't know each other that well but I know you're a good dad. I'm asking you to just trust me and give Olivia a little time. She's going to come back. I promise."

Fitz smiled dryly and took another sip of his drink.

"What?" Abby asked.

"I'm just wondering what Olivia would have done if she were in my position, If I'd taken her daughters out of the country indefinitely without saying a word to her. I'm wondering what she would have said if Richard came to her and said don't worry, he'll come back eventually, I promise."

"She probably wouldn't care."

"Exactly," Fitz said as he stood. "Tom," he called.

Tom walked in moments later. "Sir."

"Aiding and abetting the kidnapping of the president's children makes you a terrorist, doesn't it?"

Tom nodded, "yes sir it does."

"Hold her under the patriot act. Have the group of marine sentries take her to the pentagon and lock her in a room indefinitely," Fitz said as he stood.

"Wait-" Abby said frantically. "Please. If I tell you she'll never forgive me but they're safe. She will come back."

"You fucking heard me, Tom. Send them in."

"You can't arrest me, Richard won't let you do this."

Moments later Tom returned with two marine sentries.

"Take her," Fitz ordered. "Just make sure she's unharmed."

They approached Abby and she stood quickly, "please," she said. "I can't tell you."

Fitz ignored her and walked back to the bar and poured himself another drink. The marine held her by hands and turned to walk her out. "Wait. I'll tell you-" she yelled to make sure he heard her. The marines stopped and turned her around to him.

Fitz turned around from the bar to hear what she had to say.

"I have to tell you alone-"

"Tell me now," Fitz said.

"Please don't tell her I told you."

"Tell me," Fitz barked.

Abby's breath hitched and she relented. "Olivia is bipolar. She's having a manic episode."

The words didn't register. He'd heard them but he didn't know what to make of them, he didn't know what to think.

He signaled for them to leave her and they quickly let her go and stepped out, closing the door behind them.

He walked back to the couch and sat.

"You have to promise not to tell her. She'll never forgive me for telling you. I'm the only one who knows."

Fitz took a moment before he responded.

"Olivia is bipolar?" He asked, just to make sure he'd heard right. "And she's having an episode?"

Abby nodded.

"Tell me everything," Fitz said.

Abby walked back to the couch and sat and took a breath. "She was diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder in undergrad when she had an episode and threw herself in a mirror. She doesn't have them often but when she does they last 1-2 weeks so this one should be ending soon or ended already. She didn't tell me where she was going because she knew you'd ask me."

"Why did she leave?"

"Because she's manic. She's not herself, all her emotions are on overdrive. She feels things more deeply than most people so when she's manic she gets overwhelmed. It stems from overwhelming stress or sadness or something has to trigger it. She just spent almost 6 months in the hospital because her newborn got cancer and then she was agonizing over you and she was already terrified of having to get to the point where she split custody so when you asked her it kind of just pushed her over the edge. It didn't help that you did everything she was afraid you'd do so when you sent her the court order she panicked and ran away."

"I'm asking for two days Abby, two."

"She's convinced she'll die if you even get them for one day. She thinks you're gonna take them away but like I said, she is manic right now. Once she calms down and the episode passes she'll be mortified that she even acted this way and she'll fix it. It's just that when she's in it she doesn't know she's in it, she just knows she feels the way she feels, devastated and hopeless and angry and worthless and sad. Everything is the end of the world and she truly believes it until the mania ends."

He sighed, "Do you really think in the middle of an episode the best thing to do was to leave her with two babies all on her own."

"She'd never hurt them, she loves them more than anything. She's more of a danger to herself and she's not hurting herself because then she wouldn't be able to take care of them."

"When I tried to talk to her at the christening she got so angry she punched a glass wall until her hand bled."

"She told me," Abby said. "She wasn't manic or anything, she was just hurt and angry and for some reason when she is she hits or punches or does things that end up getting her hurt."

Fitz nodded. "Thank you for telling me."

"Just please don't let her know that you know and don't treat her differently because she'll know. She's rarely manic like this, she's just…going through alot."

"I'd never treat her differently."

Abby stood and grabbed her purse, "once all of this is over I'll give you shit for almost arresting me."

"I was praying you'd fold," he said.

"Well I couldn't tell," Abby sniped. "No wonder you won the russian standoff, your poker face doesn't slip."

Fitz stood and took a gulp of his drink. "I still plan on finding her"

"I know," Abby said. "But I don't think it's a good idea because if she's still manic then you won't really be able to talk to her. The best thing you can do is not be angry, if you aren't returning anger to her it helps to get through to her eventually."

"I hear you," he said but he hadn't changed his mind.

She headed out and a different guard took her home.


He couldn't sleep that night. He laid in bed replaying the moments he shared with her, trying to figure out if there were any clues he'd missed. Other than the incident when she punched the wall, there was nothing and he wondered if he was just missing the signs or if it was as Abby had said, that her episodes are rare and she functions normally in between.

The next evening when he was on his way to the residence, he heard someone jogging behind him and turned around. It was Tom.

"Sir we found her."

Fitz stepped back.

"How?" he hadn't expected to hear that anytime soon.

"I had an arrangement with the head of police in San Jose, for an undisclosed sum of money, he gave all his officers a copy of her photo and told them to keep an eye out for her. A squad of officers found her at the marina a few hours ago. I warned them not to engage but to follow if they found her and they did just that. She's staying at a private island 25 minutes off the coast of Costa Rica."

"Who else is on the island?"

"Just local people, from what the officer reported, they seem to be handy people who work on the island."

Fitz took a moment to think. "Tom, I'm going there tonight. I don't want the press or any staff to know I'm there. Can you do that?"

"Absolutely sir, I'll get everything in order, I'll try to keep everything under wraps as much as possible."

"Thanks Tom, I really appreciate everything you've done to help me."

Tom gave him his usual nod and took off.

Fitz let out a sigh of relief.

As more time passed since his encounter he grew more grateful that Abby told him what she did. He would have found her and shown up angry and confrontational and it wouldn't have helped. His anger had mostly dissipated and now he was just anxious.

He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep so he turned straight around and headed back to the oval. The trip to Central America was going to take him off schedule for at least two days so he figured he could try to take care of as much work as possible.

He dozed off around 1 in the morning in the oval and woke up at 3:30. He went to the residence and showered. He threw on some brown chinos and a t- shirt and waited on the balcony for one of his guards to come and get him.


Olivia dressed the girls in their matching bathing suits. She wore a white string bikini. Lisa, one of the helpers on the island, was going to take her on a walk around the island. The island wasn't exactly as small as Rowan had made it out to be, it was huge for a private island. There was a small hill in the middle of the island with a waterfall that flowed into a small pond. When Lisa told Olivia about the waterfall. She wondered how Rowan could afford an island of this size but she knew every time she asked him questions, she didn't like the answers.

She walked the island with Lisa and her son Roberto. Olivia carried both girls on her hips with Lisa occasionally switching the girls between them when Olivia couldn't manage. They stopped by the coconut trees and Roberto stopped and chopped coconuts for them so they could drink the water inside. Luna loved the coconut water. They walked up the paved path on the hill and stopped again when they reached the banana grove, the trees weren't that big so Olivia was able to reach up and pick bananas for her and the girls. They walked further up the hill until they reached the bottom of the waterfall. Olivia was so awed by how beautiful it was tears pricked at her eyes. It was something out of the stock photos you found online. There lychee trees, mango trees, strawberry, blueberry and raspberry trees scattered all around the pond. She sat by the pond and held Lana and Luna so their feet were in the water.

She'd been on the island for almost a week and she was beginning to wonder if Abby was right. She'd been in a constant state of sadness and grief. She was hyper-emotional and she didn't understand why because she left, the threat of Fitz taking them wasn't imminent so why was she still crying at every and anything.

She'd been trying to distract herself by staying occupied with the girls and sometimes it worked and other times it didn't.

They played and giggled and kicked their feet in the water. She was careful with Luna even though the doctor gave her the okay to return to normal activities but she still needed to be cautious, especially since they were in another country and she hadn't found a replacement doctor for Luna as yet. She let them suck on mangoes and bananas as they played and soon they were both asleep in her arms.

"I think it's time to get back," she said to Roberto and Lisa

"Okay, go back," Lisa said in her thick accent.

She walked over and took Lana from Olivia and Roberto helped Olivia up from the rock she was sitting on. They made their way back down the trail. As they were walking Olivia heard the sound of either a plane or loud boat, she wasn't sure but it sounded very close.

"Did you hear that?" She asked both Roberto and Lais.

"Yes, the airport is close." Roberto answered.

The airport was close and she heard planes flying over all the time but that one was just a little louder. She pondered and decided to let it go. She was paranoid but trying not to be.

The walk on the trail wasn't very long, especially when they were going down hill. She was back down by the beach within half an hour. The first thing she noticed was a seaplane parked on the shallow water. She thought that there was no way he could've found her, it had only been a week and she'd been careful. There was no trail. She turned to Lisa and pointed to the plane. She shrugged and shook her head signaling that she had no idea why it was there.

She took Lana from Lisa and thanked them for a fun day then told them to go home.

She told herself it could just be Rowan but she knew exactly who it was. She hoped she was wrong and that it was anyone else in the world except for him. She couldn't handle seeing him and dealing with his anger. She walked up the porch with both sleeping toddlers in her arms. She left the front doors open when she left for the hike earlier and they were still open. At first glance nothing seemed different, she didn't hear any noise indicating that anyone was inside the house. She walked over to the crib she bought for the girls days earlier and placed them inside. She quickly and quietly removed the bathing suits and left them in diapers. She turned around to check to see if anyone was in the house but before she could move Luna laughed in her sleep. It was loud and immediately she heard footsteps coming her way from the back of the house.