A/N: Wow. Wow. Wow. Thank you all for all of the love. It and you all are all appreciated and loved. I did see a few attacks to fellow reviewers, who had left negative comments about the story, but just for clarification, when I was speaking of hate mail I wasn't speaking of negative reviews. I was talking about a few PMs that I had received, one telling me to "Go die, you Edison humper". I wish more of you were not guests, so I could send you individual love letters.

The story shall continue.

As always, I don't own Scandal or Ben Howard.

"Fitz, I do not belong to you," Olivia said walking closer to him, as his three words played like a broken record. You are mine. You are mine. You are mine. Olivia ached for those words, a sweet retribution, a punishment that made her heart flutter. She was his, and in some small way he was hers, but they were individuals with separate goals, separate needs and wants, separate lives.

"You love me too. You're in love with me too, remember?" Fitz said, walking over to the windows, turning his back as he sat on the window sill, staring at her, looking straight through her. Olivia stood at the end of the couch, placing her hands on the gray blanket, her fingers entangling in the woven fabric. Just like he entangled himself into your life, she thought. She gave away to every touch, every word, everything that he did. She needed to be stronger. She needed to be...she needed to not be so willing to him, and him not so willing to her. They needed to stop hurting each other. They needed to not belong to each other, not in a backward, secret way.

"I will always love you Fitz, but..." she stopped as Fitz' breath hitched. Olivia never said the word "love" often, but when she did Fitz knew something amazing or haunting would occur. The Constitution, a new world, the Rose Garden, and her public acknowledgement of Jake. "But, I don't belong to you. You don't belong to me."

"I do belong to you," Fitz interrupted her, standing up, before she looked at him, and he retreated back to his window seat.

"You don't, you have a wife." Fitz wanted to interrupt her again, but she held her finger up at him. "And I know, that I am partly to blame for that. I mean...I didn't make you marry her. However, I have stopped you from divorcing her, to save your presidency, because your presidency is more important than what we have here. You have the opportunity to change lives, to create a new standard for future presidents, and you have the chance to make history. Those things matter."

"You matter," Fitz gave up his window seat, slowly sauntering over to her, watching her eyes avoid him. As Fitz stepped closer to Olivia, he watched as her breath hitched, her shoulders became more relaxed, her whole demeanor changed, but she still had her wall built, and he wasn't sure how to knock it down. Not this time.

"History matters more than love." Olivia turned her head to look at him, his chest almost touching her shoulder. He smelled of scotch and soap. He smelled like Fitz, and she wanted to wrap her fingers in his hair, wanted to pull him down to her and kiss him, but she didn't know how to forgive the situation. She didn't know how to forgive him for his hate filled speech. She didn't know how to forgive herself. Luckily, she was saved by another knock at the door.

Fitz became rigid once again, his shoulders going back, as he stepped back. "You need to answer that," he spoke, but to Olivia it sounded more like a question. She slowly nodded her head.

"I do." She watched as Fitz grabbed his suit jacket, draping it over his arm.

"Then, I should go." Olivia nodded her head, turning with him, before grabbing his forearm. He turned to look at her.

"One minute?" He asked, with a small, sad smile. Olivia shook her head no, and his small smile dissipated.

"I want more than one minute. I want a lifetime of minutes."

Their breathing was in sync, as they stared at each other. Their chests growing and sinking with each breath, close to touching each others. Fitz placed his suit jacket back on the couch, before reaching his arms around her back, pulling her closer to him, looking down at her. Olivia swallowed a breath, looking up at him, their bodies breathing as one. Everything seemed a little simpler, when they touched. It seemed like everything just stopped and they could be Olivia and Fitz, the couple that belonged in Vermont with two children, orchards, a dog, and each other. Nothing else mattered.

Fitz tilted his head down, needing to feel her lips against his. He needed to know that there was hope at the end of this tunnel, one that led to their life in Vermont. He needed to know that they would be okay, and in the end she would forgive him. He needed her.

"Fitz, we can't."

"Why not? Why can't I kiss you?"

"Besides the fact that we still need to talk, and that Edison is waiting for me to answer the door?"

"Yes, besides that." Fitz smiled, for the first time that night.

"I need to know that I'm not just someone that I am someone you picked up after your marriage was ruined, because your wife wouldn't screw you for ten years. I need to know that I wasn't an out." Olivia finally said what she needed to say.

"Olivia," Fitz said, releasing his hold on Olivia, shocked by her words. He glared at her, before his look softened, remembering what he had said to Mellie in his fit of rage after hearing that she was screwing his vice president nominee. "You heard."

"It doesn't matter that I heard, it matters if it's the truth."

Another knock came at the door, and Fitz glared at the door, before turning back to Olivia, watching her about to walk away from him again and into Edison's arms. He stopped her, before he walked over to the door.

"Hello Senator Davis." He said calmly, presidential.

"Mr. President." Edison was no longer shocked by seeing Fitzgerald Grant III at Olivia's door, after spending a few minutes speaking with Tom and Hal.

"I'm sorry, but I am needing to speak with Olivia," Edison said, looking past the President and to Olivia.

"We are in the middle of a meeting that can't wait. I'm sorry." Fitz started to close the door.

"You're the stupid man with the penis that fucks up the world and has a wife." Edison said matter of factly, looking at Olivia, seeing her looking down to the floor, trying to avoid the question, the statement. Right then, he knew it was true. The President was the one that Olivia was in love with.

"Excuse me?" Fitz said, stepping into Edison's field of vision.

"That's what Olivia called you, when she called me drunk last night." Now both men were looking at her, she needed to avoid their eye contact. Edison knew that he was right, when they were together. Fitz now knew that she was drunk after their encounter last night. They both looked at her needing to know the truth, all of it, but she didn't want to handle that right now.

"I was drunk, Edison called me, and I told him about a man..."

"The President," Edison added, clearly annoyed.

"About a man who has a wife, that fucked up my world."

"Olivia." They both said, before one voice was muffled by the sound of a door closing.

I know it was short, but the next chapter should be longer. Love me some reviews.