AN: YAY! Chapter 6! I am so overwhelmed by the response I have received on this story. You guys don't know how good it feels to read the reviews. Some of you had mixed responses to that last chapter and I completely understand. Just BARE WITH ME! We will get thru this together.

Be sure to review this chapter…I'm sure there will be a mixed response to this one as well.

Happy reading!

XOXO

TBS

CH 6

Olivia jumped awake from her nap on the couch. After Abby and Harper had left earlier that day, she decided to rest her eyes for a while. This turned into a 3 hour nap on the couch and a nightmare of Harper leaving when she found out the truth. Olivia laid on the couch, staring at the ceiling fan above her and trying to calm her heart rate down. She prayed she wouldn't have to experience this kind of reaction for real as she didn't know what she would do if she lost her daughter.

She got up and went to check the time. It was 5PM and becoming dusk dark. Harper wasn't due to be home for another couple of hours and Olivia thought she would use this time wisely. She padded into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of red wine. She took a sip and turned toward the fridge. She noticed a picture of her and Harper doing pottery. Harper was sitting between her mother's legs and both had clay on their faces and hands. The smiles were a million watts, and Olivia could recall that day as if it were yesterday.

FLASHBACK

Harper was cute as a button in her black tights and plaid button up to match her mother's. Both had their hair in messy buns on top of their heads and were prepared to get messy. Harper had seen pottery done at a craft show before and begged Olivia to take her a while back. Olivia, of course, couldn't resist.

When the ladies arrived at the local pottery store for their lesson, Harper was thrilled. At first, the ladies were awful at it, slinging wet clay all over the room and erupting in a fit of giggles. This was one of the things Olivia loved the most about her daughter- she wasn't afraid of getting dirty.

When the mood finally calmed, both ladies had calmed and Harper was now on her own spin beside her mother. A little girl entered the facility with what appeared to be her father and Olivia could see Harper's 9 year old wheels turning. She braced herself for what was to come.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Harp?"

"Mom, do I have a dad?" There it was. Olivia slowed the motion of her own turntable and glanced at her daughter. Harper took this moment of silence to continue.

"I mean, from what we learned in the 'about your body' course at school, I'm certain at one point I DID have one but where is he now?"

Olivia felt her cheeks begin to flush as images of Fitz began to flood her mind. It never ceased to amaze her that her daughter had been able to render her speechless since she was 2.

Olivia thought for a moment on how she wanted to approach this conversation.

"Yeah, you did-DO have a father, Harp. He isn't around because-"Before Olivia could finish her sentence, Harper interrupted her.

"Cause I know this girl in my class, her name is Ellasyn, and she doesn't see her daddy either. James was sitting with me and Ellasyn a few days ago and he said his family was better cause he had a mommy and daddy."

"What did Ellasyn say?" Olivia was a bit shocked. She knew kids could be curious, but she didn't think their conversations held this much weight at a young age. She made a mental note to find out more about the kids and their talks more often.

"Ellasyn said her mommy told her that she was a gift from God and that even though physically you need a mommy and daddy, there's no less love because you are missing one or the other."

Olivia stared into her daughter's cerulean blue eyes that matched her unnamed father and felt her heart break. One day, I swear I'll tell her, she thought.

"Come here, munchkin." Harper abandoned her artwork and sat back between her mother's legs.

"Sweet girl, I want you to always remember this. Ellasyn was absolutely right. You do have a father, but just because he isn't around doesn't mean we don't have just as much love as James and his family. I love you unconditionally- more than anything else in this world, do you understand me?"

Harper's eyes now matched her mother's as far as being big and doe like, but still had that beautiful blue glow to them.

"Yes ma'am. I understand, Mommy. I love you." Harper wrapped her clay covered hands around her mother's neck and Olivia hugged her daughter with everything she had in her at that point. The father/daughter duo that had entered the establishment stared on in amazement, and while Olivia and Harper weren't looking, the owner of the craft place snapped a photo of them laughing together. She presented it to Olivia and Harper as they left the store.

PRESENT

Olivia felt a single tear slide down her eye. She quickly wiped it away as she began to walk back into the living room.

"OHHHH! Harper?" Olivia hadn't heard her daughter come thru the door, but she was now walking into the room. She froze at the sight of her mother.

"Mom? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Harper dropped her purse on the couch and plopped down beside it. Olivia knew something was up so she decided to tread lightly, wanting to give Harper a little independence.

"Everything alright, Harp?"

"Yeah, I'm not really feeling all that well. Kinda under the weather I guess. I'll be fine. Whatcha been doin? Miss me?" Harper asked her mother with exaggerated eyebrow rises.

Olivia couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's antics. She could be such a clown.

"You know, I do have a life outside of your world, Harps." Olivia laughed at her daughter, but noticed how she winced when she laughed.

Olivia immediately snapped into fixer mode. "Where does it hurt, Harp?"

"My left side, but it's really nothing, Mom. I promise. Is Fitz coming over today?"

Olivia smiled, "He should be here any minute, actually."

Harper's eyes lit up. "Mom, I don't wanna intrude on your date, or whatever, but do you think…."

"Out with it, Harp." Olivia didn't like when Harper beat around the bush.

"Well, I have a new song. I got the music from a spare instrumental with Nick and his buddies, but I have words to it. I came up with them in the car on the way home. Do you think we can go in the studio for a while? I wanna see what Fitz thinks."

Olivia's mind went back to her dream and how she didn't want Fitz to be involved with Harper's music. She felt awful for feeling that, but to be honest, she didn't know why in her dream she didn't want him to help. She would love to see him and Harper work together in music. EVERYTHING Fitz touched sounded astounding and turned to gold. His ear for music was unbelievable and Harper was hot on his heels.

"Mom?"

"Yeah Harp. That sounds great. He probably wasn't expecting you to be here this early, but it won't mess anything up."

An hour later, all three were in the recording booth. Olivia and Fitz sat outside the glass listening to Harper lay down the lyrics for her song. She didn't want them to hear it just yet as she wanted to match intonation and lyrics before she sang it outright.

Fitz couldn't deny how fuzzy it felt to watch his daughter in the booth like that. She had the same look of determination on her face that he held when he was concentrating on something. He was so proud of her, he had a hard time expressing it in words. The song I have written for us will be a perfect way of showing her how I feel once the time is right, he thought.

There was a comfortable silence in the room as both parents watched their child hard at work in the studio. They sat side by side, complimenting her abilities and how she seemed to be so mature for the music business.

When it was finally time to sing the song and open the audio so everyone could hear music and her singing at the same time, Fitz took a seat at the sound board. Harper placed the headphones over hear ears and sat on a stool in front of the mic. Fitz noticed how she winced as she crossed her long caramel legs and he flipped on the mic to ask her if she was ok.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Ready when you are." Harper tried to convince her father as she rubbed her neck back and forth.

The song was beautiful. Fitz sat in awe as he watched his daughter command the room with her voice. She was singing and he was on the verge of tears.

You're the light, you're the night
You're the color of my blood
You're the cure, you're the pain
You're the only thing I wanna touch
Never knew that it could mean so much, so much

(Harper tucked her hair behind her ear as she sang)

You're the fear, I don't care
Cause I've never been so high
Follow me to the dark
Let me take you past our satellites
You can see the world you brought to life, to life

So love me like you do, love me like you do
Love me like you do, love me like you do
Touch me like you do, touch me like you do
What are you waiting for…..

The music kept going but Harper stopped singing. Both Fitz an Olivia looked up and saw their only child begin to hold her head and fall to the side. Her blue eyes began to roll in the back of her head and the headphones began to slip down to her neck. She raised her hand as if she was going to grab her head, and Fitz was up and thru the door before Harper could smash her head on the concrete floor too hard. He grabbed her head, tossed his phone to Olivia, and yelled the first thing he could think of.

"CALL 911! NOW!"

AN: PLOT TWIST! I know, I couldn't resist. I love them so much, and after I reread that last chapter over and over a few times, I wanted to spice up how Harper finds out. SO…how do you guys think it will play out?

Leave me reviews and ideas! You guys keep me pumped and fueled.

Till next time!

I OWN NOTHING! CHARACTERS BELONG TO SHONDA RHIMES, AND LYRICS/SONG/ALL MUSIC RIGHTS BELONG TO ELLIE GOULDING.

XOXO!