Thank you, thank you, thank you for you kind reviews, they are greatly appreciated and never taken for granted. I know it's been a minute in between chapters, my bad. There's a lil Liv/Fitz interaction and I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always to my beta, thanks yo!

Let's get it!

"I'm the person who kidnapped Olivia Pope," the distorted voice answered. The tone was matter of fact and unfeeling, leaving Fitz cold.

"Excuse me?" Fitz asked, his voice deep over the new revelation, and tightened his grip on the receiver.

"I think you heard me," the voice replied. "It would be in your best interest to have all of the facts before you speak."

Fitz looked up at Cyrus and motioned for him to pick up the other line. Cyrus did so very carefully and listened intently. The look on Fitz's face gave him a bad feeling.

"I don't follow," Fitz stalled until Cyrus was ready. "What did I get wrong?"

"You told the press that Ms. Pope was not missing. That couldn't be farther from the truth." The voice paused. "Let's see, I believe I've had your friend for three days," the voice laughed.

"Why in the hell should I believe a word you're saying?" Fitz countered with more than a hint of anger. How dare this man try and play games with him. Olivia was fine, he thought to himself and looked over to Cyrus for reassurance. He found none as Cyrus was now a stark pale against the warm orange hue the setting sun painted in the room. "I don't have time for these games." His declaration now lacked some of it's earlier confidence.

The voice laughed. "In the time that I've had her, I've had a chance to take in her... assets. The mole right below her breasts... perfect beauty mark, don't you think?"

"You son of a bitch," Fitz erupted. "Don't you touch her!"

Cyrus dropped the phone and practically jumped across the desk in an attempt to get to Fitz before the younger man crushed the phone. Cyrus pulled the phone away from Fitz's ear and tried to get him to focus.

"Sir, listen-" Cyrus began.

"He has her!" Fitz interrupted with a hiss. The love of his life was in the arms of a mad man. How could he not have known that she'd been taken?

"You have to stay calm, Mr. President." Cyrus explained with an emphasis on Fitz's title. "We have to find out what and who we're dealing with."

Fitz swallowed hard, nodded, and took a moment to compose himself before bringing the receiver back to his ear. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Oh, you believe me now?" the voice replied. "Good. I haven't decided what I wanted yet but when I do, you'll be the first to know."

"So what, this is just some sort of sick game to you? Something to make me suffer?" Fitz demanded.

"Yes." The voice answered simply.

Fitz jerked his head back in surprise and horror. He was truly at a loss. How could he fight someone who wanted nothing more than to cause him pain? Fitz bounced on his toes, scrambling for something, anything to get his footing back.

"I want to speak to her," Fitz demanded, but could not hide the trembling in his voice.

"No," came the simple reply.

"If I don't speak to her, then I'm ending this game that you think you're going to play with me," Fitz growled. He would not just roll over without a fight and he hated being told no.

Cyrus leaned forward in an attempt to hear the kidnapper's response.

"I'll be in touch." The electronic voice said and hung up.

"Wait!" Fitz shouted into the phone but received no response. He looked at Cyrus who could do nothing but look down. "He has Liv."

Cyrus nodded. "He does, yes, sir."

There was a sadness in his voice that Fitz could not recall ever hearing. Fitz hung up the phone and pressed his palms against the desk in an attempt to center himself. He felt his face become red with anger. It was easy to be angry at the man who kidnapped Olivia, but if he was being honest, Fitz was angry with himself.

"Damn it!" Fitz shouted and threw everything off of desk with one sweep, and Cyrus stepped back in shock. "I never should have let her go away. I should have known something was wrong."

"You're not clairvoyant," Cyrus reasoned and side stepped his way around to the other side of the desk and to safety. "You had no way of knowing this would happen."

"No?" Fitz asked. "Her people knew something was wrong. Hell, even Jake knew that she was in trouble, smug bastard." Fitz ran his right hand through his hair and then picked up the phone. "I'm going to get Thompson in here."

Cyrus put covered Fitz's hand with his own and forced Fitz to hang up the phone. He knew that he'd have to be the rational one in the situation, as it was clear that Fitz was gearing up to call in the FBI, National Guard, and possibly any vigilante who was up for a good fight.

"We still don't know what this guy wants, Sir."

"Yes we do Cy," He shook his head in disbelief, "He wants me to suffer and he's using Olivia to make it happen."

Cyrus held up a hand and prepared to make his case.

"We have no proof that he has Olivia, just his word," Cyrus began to pace the room, "You did good well by asking to speak to her. It puts the ball in his court and we don't make a move until we hear back from him."

"So now what, we just wait?" Fitz asked not trying to hide his frustration.

Cyrus stopped in front of the bust of Kennedy and examined it as if it held the answers to the universe. He replayed their earlier conversation for anything he may have missed and when he found it, he spun around to address the President.

"You said that you knew where Olivia was," he said, but caught himself. "Where you thought she was. Where?"

Fitz released a heavy sigh before looking his Chief of Staff in the eye. "She was headed to Vermont."

"Vermont? Maple syrup Vermont?" Cyrus asked and Fitz nodded. "Why? What's in Vermont?"

"I'd rather not say." Fitz turned away from Cyrus, his jaw clenched.

"You'd rather not say?" Cyrus repeated with no attempt at masking his frustration. He turned away from Fitz seemingly ready to leave, but turned back around and opened his mouth to speak. A moment later he closed his mouth and raised his hand as if to stop Fitz from speaking. "Did I hear you correctly, Mr. President? You'd rather not say what's in Vermont?"

Fitz waved Cyrus away. He had enough to deal with and Cyrus' righteous indignation was the last thing he needed. No, Fitz decided, he wouldn't tell Cyrus about the house, about his future with Olivia. Their dream would remain theirs for as long as possible.

"I need a moment Cy." It was a statement that left no room for argument, although Cyrus considered it.

"Fine," Cyrus complied. "I'm going to ask Lauren if there was an ID on the phone number that was used. Maybe this whole thing is just a prank and we're dealing with an idiot."

Fitz waited until Cyrus closed the door behind him to sit down. The severity of the situation, the possibility that Olivia was actually in danger took his breath away. He should have felt it, after all, they were connected. They were meant to be.

Four days ago

"I need space...time." Olivia revealed to Fitz as if she'd just realized it herself. "I need to figure out what to do next."

The two stood in the oval office a few feet apart from each other physically, but to Fitz, it felt like they were miles apart. He took a step closer towards Olivia only to have her back up as well.

"There's nothing to figure out," he countered, clearly frustrated. "I love you."

"Your love is ruining me!" Olivia shouted, her eyes glassy with sadness.

Fitz felt like the wind had knocked out of him. She couldn't possibly mean that, could she? She was the unquestionable love of his life. "You don't mean that."

"I do," she countered shot back. "I do mean that. You murdered my mother and over 200 innocent people! Simply because you were following orders." Olivia turned away from and leaned her head against the mantle. She needed support, her heart was breaking.

Fitz closed the gap between them and gripped her arms firmly. He was fearful that she would reject him again, but when she didn't move he leaned in and whispered. "I wish I could tell you everything, but I can't, you know that. I will do anything in my power to fix this, to fix us." He turned her around to face him. "Livvie, tell me how to fix this."

Olivia looked at him with a humorless mirthless smile. "Can you bring someone back from the dead?"

"Olivia-" Fitz began.

Olivia held up her left hand to cut him off. "Just give me some time. I need to go away for a few days and clear my head. Can you please just give me that?"

She looked so small to Fitz and he wanted to do nothing more than to hold her and take away her pain. How cruel was fate that he was the cause.

"Fine," he acquiesced. "But you're going with some of my guys."

"No, the last thing I need are reminders of you and your power." Olivia argued.

"I want you safe." Fitz explained.

Olivia ducked past Fitz and took a deep breath. Funny, she hadn't realized she needed air, somehow she would forget to breathe when he was so close to her. There, she smiled to herself, proof that she had to get away. She couldn't so much as breathe around him let alone think rationally.

"Fitz, as much as your want to protect and control everything around me you can't. I'm not yours."

"Whose fault is that," he spit spat. Fitz turned to address her again. "You keep walking away from me. You love me, I love you, we can be together."

"I'm not having this argument with you again, we cannot be together."

"Enough!" Fitz hissed and walked past Olivia. "Why did you bother coming?"

Olivia frowned at the tone he now took. He was angry and frustrated and his clear blue eyes now shown shone with a stormy gray hue. "I just thought you should know my plans," Olivia explained. "I wanted you to know."

"Well now I know," he snapped, andsat down at his desk and started to look over the papers that were piled up in front of him. "You can leave."

"Fitz," she called, but received no response. Olivia threw her hands up in frustrationshe'd made a mistake and she really had no good answer for why she had come. Olivia was aware that she could have simply told him what her plans were over the phone. No, she'd come because she wanted to see him. Despite everything that had happened she needed to be in the same room.

"I'm going to Vermont," Olivia said quietly. Fitz stopped writing and she took that as her cue to continue. "I'm not going to accept any protection from you, because I don't need it, but I'll tell you where I'll be."

"Vermont?" He smiled, put down the pen, and stood up, happy for the information that she was willing to give him. "Can I come see you in a few days?" Fitz saw the hesitation on Olivia's face and continued. "If the day comes and you don't want me there I won't come. I just want to show you something that's up there. It's important that you see it."

Olivia gave Fitz a short nod. "Okay." She gathered her coat and pair of gloves. "In five days, you can come see me. I'll give Lauren the address."

"I love you." Fitz declared.

"I know." Olivia replied.

And then she was gone.

To be continued...