Chapter 7

Keep Your Enemies Close

Olivia maintained her poker face when she sat down beside him on the sofa. If this was going to be a staring contest, then she was going to win. Her speedy heartbeat and the butterflies in her stomach both be damned.

How dare you be here right now! She tried to convey this thought angrily with her eyes, but she was not sure if her glare came off as more longing than anything else. All she really wanted to do was jump on his lap and press her lips against his. At that very moment, he took a long swig of beer. His lips could have easily been drawing on her nipple, which was kind of tingling right now.

Why was everything about him so sexy? His jaw was strong and masculine. His hairline was perfect. His neck…She wanted to take a whiff of his hair. The desire to do so was was so insane right now when she was this irritated with him. Olivia's thoughts rushed through her mind quickly. To her it seemed like they had been staring at each other for a long while.

What Fitz perceived was more realistic. She sat down beside him trying to look upset, but he knew better. He was sure he saw her slightly shocked look upon first seeing him turn to relief. After Tim left the room he had wanted to touch her. Instead he drank the remainder of his beer and waited for her to make the first move, but she did nothing.

He moved forward not touching her with his hands. He rubbed his cheek against hers. A moan escaped from her lips.

"You have to trust me. You cannot run away like that," he whispered again her lips, their foreheads pressed together.

"Fitz…I…" she could not finish what she was trying to say because she needed to kiss him right now. She cupped the jaws she had admired earlier and pulled his lips to hers.

They kissed slowly and leisurely, forgetting where they were. Fitz pulled her onto his lap without breaking the kiss.

"Enough, you two," Timothy hissed. They stopped kissing but did not move. "I give you an inch and you take a mile. Meet me in my room so we can discuss the plan," Tim said. He rolled away and down the hall.

They smiled at each other and resumed kissing. His hands were under her blouse now, fingers brushing across her back in search of the clasp. She grabbed his hands and pulled them around to the front. Her breasts spilled out of her bra after she felt the material go tight and then loosen as he unsnapped it. They both grabbed the hem of her blouse and pulled it over her head. He laid her back on the sofa. He licked up the rise of her breast and around until his mouth closed over her nipple. He sucked hard. She squeezed the handful of his hair that was in her grasp.

"That is for running away."

He repeated the same thing on her other breast. She arched her back against his mouth.

Their phones buzzed at the same time. They instantly knew it was Tim. They didn't bother to answer. He pulled her up and snapped her bra closed.

"We will finish this conversation later, Agent Grant."

"You are what, Timmy? Of all the idiotic and reckless ideas, you could come up with. You cannot take Harrison and Abby with you to New York. Why would you want to move them in with you? It is an insane idea. That is why you accepted Huck's offer so quickly. You want him to help babysit them, don't you? I am living in that brownstone too. Harrison hates me and only a little bit less than Abby," Olivia said, unwilling to budge from her position.

"Liv, your blouse is on inside out so you have totally lost credibility to tell me what is idiotic and reckless. And lower your voice just in case Mom and Dad are walking around outside."

"Tim, lay off Olivia. She does have a point. Your idea is crazy. Please enlighten us. What are you thinking?" Fitz asked. He pulled Olivia on his lap so she could stop pacing and listen.

"Have you not heard the saying, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?' This has to be our strategy with our enemies. We have to know where they are and what they are doing at all times. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Harrison and Abby and are not our enemies," Timothy explained to Fitz's and Olivia's confused expressions. "Right now they are loose cannons, which for the sake of this argument, we will call faux enemies. I can bring them around in time. Be patient and keep listenting. Mellie is a real enemy. It's 9:30 and I know exactly where Harrison and Abby are. Fitz, where is Mellie? What is she doing? Fitz, you need to go back to Mellie. Play the role of the doting fiancé. Harrison and Abby will come with me, but Olivia will have to help me convince them not to run away.

Tim stopped his diatribe so they could digest it all.

Olivia spoke first. "Timmy. I am not convinced about the plan for Harrison and Abby, but we can keep talking. As for Fitz going back to Mellie, it is not going to happen if he wants to be with me." Olivia turned in Fitz's lap and finished her statement so he could see and hear the challenge in her voice.

Fitz stared back at her with his own challenge. "I hope you mean that Olivia because I broke off the engagement before I came here. You will not have any more reasons to run away from us. Unless you invent some, which is likely knowing you."

She frowned at him. "You make me sound like a scared little girl."

He twisted a lock of her hair between his fingers. "You are not a little girl, but you are scared of me, scared of us, scared of how I make you feel, scared that you love me so much in a short time…" He prevented her from moving when she tried to leave his lap. "See there you go again, run, run, run…"

"In my opinion, Fitz should continue with the engagement charade. Obviously you two do not agree with me because neither of you have self-control when it comes to the other. You are like vinegar and baking soda.

"Grant, this arrangement is seriously cramping my style," Tim muttered in frustration as he slammed the passenger side door to Fitz's black sedan. Fitz rarely drove his SUV since it was easier for Tim to maneuver in and out of the sedan that was lower to the ground.

Fitz did not respond to Tim's comment. His eyes were on Tim's hands as he flexed his fingers repeatedly. "Is the numbness still there?"

"No, just a little spasm. It happens sometimes when I make sudden movements like that, but my physical therapist says it should go away. I swear she is causing them. She is such a task master."

"She must know what she is talking about since you have made tremendous progress these last two months. Olivia showed me an article about a guy in LA who received treatment that allowed him to regain the use of his legs, some bladder, and sexual function," Fitz explained as he drove through the parking deck.

"My sister would do anything to get out of giving our parents grandchildren, including making her paralyzed brother cured so he can make some little Popes and get married. Not in that order. They have been putting pressure on her since they met you. As far as they are concerned, you two have been together for three years and it is past time, Harrison." Tim said purposely using that name.

"That is the name that shall not be mentioned ever again. When your parents visited last month, Olivia mistakenly called me 'Fitz' in front of them. She saved quickly by explaining 'Harrison' as my middle name and Fitzgerald as my first. I am glad they finally call me Fitz now. Charlise and Lionel have a long wait for holy matrimony and kids. She has already informed me of her intentions and I quote, "I will never marry or procreate with you."

Fitz remembered that day. He had moved all his belongings from Mellie's and the last of Olivia's things from her old place.

"We are officially living under the same roof, baby." He had plopped down on the sofa and pulled her onto his lap. She looked him in the eyes and said matter of factly, "Fitz, just to be clear, I will never marry or procreate with you, even if we can make this work, so if you have any objections voice them now."

Her words had been random and unprompted, but he did not say a word. She looked a little frightened and uneasy which was very different from the challenge in her voice.

"We should go check on Tim," Fitz had said, kissing her on the nose. He left her sitting on the couch stewing.

"Is that what she said? You know she was talking to herself more so than you. She was daring you to protest. You did not, did you?"

"Oh no. I would not dare. It really caught me by surprise. I know when she is intentionally trying to pick a fight with me. I ignored her," Fitz said. "So how am I cramping your style, Tim? You have everyone eating out of your hands at the Bureau. You are just too damn smart for your own good. I just knew you were going to piss everyone off, but they all respect you personally and professionally."

"I would not quite put it that way. They are just dependent on me to clear up their messes or cover their asses with their arrogant asshole of a boss. I never pegged you for an asshole, Grant, but you run the Bureau like a military unit. Must you chew out someone so royally every day? They think if they kiss my ass, that is a pardon deposit for some future screw up." Tim said with a mixture of bitterness and acceptance.

"It comes with the job description. The first thing Cyrus told me was to be an asshole. That is the only way the agents will do what they are told. In this job, we cannot afford to have any anarchists…unless of course you are in charge like me. They have to know who is in charge…no grey areas. But they buy our relationship because of the genius way you constructed it," Fitz said.

"They best way to hide one scandal is to invent another one in its place. You recruited me right out of college, took me out drinking, hit a pole, and boom your new recruit is paralyzed. Because of your guilty conscience, you gave me this job since now as the deputy director you can pretty much do what you want…Yes, genius. All this to cover up you know what. But I think you are a natural arrogant asshole, Grant, now that I have observed you in the real world. That is why I will never understand how you allowed that to happen with my sister at The Met. You went from asshole to pushover in three seconds. How is that? But wait. I don't want to know," Tim said. "No woman would ever make me lose my head like that, not that I will ever have a chance to find out…"

"I would not be so hasty to say that because of two words, Tim. Helen Tate," Fitz said with a smirk.

"Oh here we go again. I am not nor will I ever be interested in Helen Tate or any woman. And I will never forgive you for telling Liv about her or the incident. She asks me about her every day. It is annoying as hell. Helen Tate is a friend who just happens to be the perfect woman, but not for me. I would never date an able-bodied woman or any woman for that matter. That part of my life is shut down and I am okay with that. My life is full enough and filled with cheap thrills, chief among them, you and my sister. Now that you are with my sister and I am working for you, I will never have a dull day," said Tim looking out the window at the flickering lights.

The Incident is what Fitz called it, the first time Tim met Helen. During the first week of Tim's job at the Bureau, he was either in meetings or being introduced to staff. He had met most everyone but those agents out on assignment. Special Agent Helen Tate was one who had been away. The day she had returned Tim was sitting in the briefing room listening to Fitz drone on and on in his monthly state of the Bureau address.

Tim counted the heads of those who looked to be dozing off. Then he decided to test out the movement in his hand by picking up his cup of coffee. At the same time, Helen walked into the auditorium flanked by to other people. Tim lifted his head at the slight noise of the door opening. When he saw her, he was mesmerized. It was not the way she was dressed that moved him since her out fit was standard issue Bureau dress, a nondescript, dull colored suit. Hers was dark blue and fitted in all the right places. Her hair was pulled back in simple bun. She had to be 6 feet tall with her heels, sporting the longest legs he had ever seen. She walked down the long aisle like it was the catwalk at fashion week. Her face held a slightly disinterested expression while at the same time looking apologetic for being late.

"I would normally ask Agents Tate, Miller, and Watson to excuse themselves for being late to this very important meeting. But I will give them a pass this time since their excellent work on Operation Illwind has led to an end to the defense procurement fraud that has been so rampant in our military. There were hundreds of agents working on this case, but their leadership has resulted in the arrest of 75 consultants, contractors, and government officials. Just yesterday, they worked with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to arrest a high-ranking Pentagon assistant secretary and a deputy assistant secretary of the Navy," Fitz announced. "Congratulations."

Everyone clapped as the agents walked to their seats. Helen walked to Tim's row where his chair set in the aisle.

"Is this seat taken?" she whispered, bending close with her mouth to his ear.

Tim was still holding his coffee cup in his hand. When she got so close, he felt an unfamiliar stirring in his lower region. Taken totally by surprise, he dropped his coffee in his lap. Because he was paralyzed, he did not feel the burning coffee, so his subsequent emission of "What the Fuck!" did not make much sense. Everyone looked at him when they heard him. No one knew that his unfortunate bellow had to do with what he felt tighten in his pants and not the coffee or the embarrassment of dropping it.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I do that? I can be such a clutzy maniac when I want to," Helen said looking horrified and searching for a napkin.

"Excuse me," Tim mumbled before pressing the button to turn his chair around. He wheeled himself out of the auditorium and to the nearest bathroom while Fitz looked on worriedly from the podium.

Later that day, she had stopped by his office to apologize.

"I hate to bother you, Tim, but I have to apologize. I did not mean to make you spill your coffee," she said looking sincerely sorrowful.

"It was totally my fault, Agent Tate. It slipped from my hands. I have recently regained movement in my arms and I am still a little shaky. Please do not apologize," Tim explained. He admired her smooth brown skin and full lips as she spoke.

"Thanks for being so gracious. Please call me Helen," she said taking a seat. "You are sure you are okay? I do not want to do anything to get on Grant's bad side, although he does not not seem to have but one side…all bad."

Tim had smiled at that. "Shit!" Helen said, "Did I say that out loud? Please do not tell him. He already chewed me out for going over budget on our case. We were surprised when he complimented us during his address this morning. He never does that. Even though he just became deputy, Beene made him de facto deputy almost almost a year."

"You have nothing to worry about. People around here think Grant and I are friends. We are not. He recruited me years ago and gave me this job. That is it. It may seem like charity because of the accident, but I am more than qualified."

"Everyone says you are cool. We were all worried you would be as much of an arrogant ass as he is. I do have a question, though. You are paralyzed from the waist down, right?" Helen asked.

"Yes and no. I was a partial paraplegic with some limited use of my arms. I have regained full movement in both arms so I guess I am paralyzed from the waist down now." Tim explained as he tried to figure out the color of her eyes, either light brown or hazel.

"Why did you say, "What the Fuck" when the coffee spilled on your lap? It was as if you felt it?" She asked narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

Tim was still conflicted about what had happened. He knew that he did not feel the coffee, but the sensation before he dropped the coffee had felt real. He knew it was not possible for him to stand, much less to get an erection. He was paralyzedsto it had to be a figment of his imagination. He answered in his classic manner.

"I may be paralyzed, but I am not blind. I saw the spill and reacted in kind. I resent you thinking anything else. What would I have to gain for pretending to be paralyzed? I would challenge you or any agent in this building to spend a day in my chair. You would all crumble."

She looked horrified all over again. "I apologize. Please forgive me. I cannot seem to stop putting my foot in my mouth. Everyone is talking about you and Grant hiring you. We are all conspiracy theorists at heart. We would not put it past Grant to bring you in to spy on us," she explained quickly.

After the Incident, he and Helen had forged a simple friendship. They occasionally had lunch as he did with other agents. She even asked his opinion on guys she dated. Their relationship was uncomplicated and unfettered. This is how Timothy wanted it to remain. He thought this as he and Fitz drove down the streets of New York.

"Tim, I know you are keeping something from me where Agent Tate is concerned. I know you see her as more than an occasional lunch date. One day I know you will tell me. I am pretty patient so I will be waiting."

"Grant, save your patience for Liv. It is better placed with her. I am sure she is none to happy that you are coming home so late tonight. She's texted me twice since you seem to be ignoring hercalls. She needs a job or something to do. These last two months have been pretty quiet. No drama with Liv, Mellie, Harrison, or Abby. It is time for something to hit the fan. This is not Timmy being the messenger of doom, but this is just the natural course of things. Murphy's Law. No one understands why you, who recently called off his engagement, walks around like he just won a million dollars, of course that extra pep in your step hasn't affected your shittyness. But that happiness is not going to last much longer. Our number is up for some serious upheaval soon. It is best to prepared. It's just smart. So no more talk about Agent Tate and me. She is hot, but if it were possible, I could not afford to invite anyone into my life right now, which is crazier than fiction. It is all a very delicate balance we are keeping here. Any addition could cause it to blow up in our face."

"Okay, Tim. I will not say anything else. I am not naïve, I know things in my life are far from settled just because Liv and I are living together. Problems are inevitable, but I am pretty certain that they will not be the same problems. Mellie has moved on. It has been two months and she had finally stopped calling me. According to my sources Harrison and Abby are settling in in Brisbane. Abby is a fitness instructor and Harrison is a museum docent. They are doing okay. I really could care less as long as they stay away from Liv."

"If only that museum knew that their tour guide used to still art for a living," Tim said. "How ironic."

"It is not an Art museum, but a museum of natural history and science," Fitz explained. "We are finally home."

Fitz pulled up the sedan up to the brownstone. He pulled Tim's chair from the trunk and helped him out of the car. They ascended the newly constructed ramp and entered the door.

"Here's to hoping you are not too far in the dog house with my sister tonight. You really should give her a low level, unclassified case to work on. It will make your life a lot easier," Tim said as he rolled down the hallway.

Fitz unlocked the door and stepped inside slowly. "Livy?"

He never knew what to expect when coming home. Sometimes he was welcomed by the smell of the charred remains of some culinary creation gone wrong. At other times he found her entertaining Huck and Quinn. They would be playing cards or discussing the best strategy for breaking into a museum for this or that work of art. Thankfully, they had never attempted it since OPs was now defunct. One day he found her snooping around his computer files that linked to his work computer. She had confessed that Huck had helped her hack into the system. "I just want to see what cases are hot right now," she had explained sheepishly.

He warned Huck never to hack into his computer under penalty of law, but that had not stopped Olivia. He had his laptop set so that 5 unsuccessful login attempts would trigger an alarm and a total wipe of his hard drive after a picture of his face appeared on the screen and an alert sounded repeating the phrase, "You are busted, Olivia Pope." He liked it the best when she set up a seduction scene for him. Once she greeted him propped on the sofa, wearing one of his ties and nothing else.

"Welcome home, dear," she said imitating Vivian played by Julia Roberts from Pretty Woman.

"Nice tie," he said playing the role of Edward like Richard Gere.

"I got it for you," she had responded.

The times she got creative in that way always made him late for work the next morning to the consternation of Timothy who was a stickler for punctuality.

"Yeah babe, I'm in here. You finally made it home. Thanks for not answering the damn phone," Liv called out from the bedroom. "What is so important that you could not return my calls? It is 11 at night."

Olivia was sitting on the bed, knees pulled up under her chin, pointing the remote at the TV and flipping through the channels mindlessly. Leaning against the door, he could not help but smile looking at her tense form in his bed. He started unbuttoning his shirt. "I apologize. Every time you called someone was in my office. It will not happen again."

"Do not make promises you cannot keep," she said standing on the bed and walking across it to him. She wore one of his t-shirts, which was his second favorite nighttime apparel for her to wear to bed.

Fitz met her at the bed before she could step down. He pulled her close for a hug. He inhaled her familiar scent and ran his hands along her back. He grasped her waist and let her slide down his body until they were face to face. She held on but not out of necessity because he held her tight as her feet dangled by his shins. He smiled. She smiled back and leaned in to kiss him. He loosened his hold slightly and she slid further down his body, stopping when her feet touched the floor. She reached for his belt, but he brushed her hands away. She reached for the hem of his t-shirt that hung around her body, but he grabbed her wrists. She reached for the waistband of her underwear, but he stopped her. Olivia pulled back in confusion.

"What is the rush?" he said with a little smirk on his face.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his collar to pull him down on top of her on the bed. They resumed their kissing. He kissed her slowly, but her mouth moved hastily over his.

"Turn over on your back," she said.

"No," he said against her ear. When she felt his tongue lick behind her ear she knew she was in for a long night. It was not that she did not want to let him kiss every inch of her. She was anxious to talk to him about what she had uncovered. When he arrived home she was hoping for a quickie so they could talk. He was always more relaxed after they made love so that is how she wanted him, comfortable and relaxed. She could tell that he was in the mood for a long drawn out session where he squeezed every ounce of passion and as a result all the energy from her body. Tonight she was more focused on talking to him about her discoveries.

"What's wrong, Livy? Just relax, baby," he said against her belly button. Olivia sat up and scooted back against the headboard.

"Fitz, we need to talk."

He grabbed both her ankles and pulled back down on the bed. He had that determined look she knew well so she could not prepare him for what she had to say. She just decided to say it.

"Quinn, Huck, and me have been following Mellie and she is up to something, Fitz."

The tongue on her leg stopped its ascent up her inner thigh. "What?"

"Suspend your judgment and listen," she said excitedly now that she had shifted his attention. She sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed to explain. "One day I was hanging out with Huck and Quinn. There was a story on TV about a woman who sued her husband's mistress for "alienation of affection." She won a $9 million settlement. Can you believe that? Quinn said jokingly that it was a good thing Mellie did not know who I was because she could prosecute me for actual theft of her fiancé during a heist. We had a good laugh, but that got me to thinking more about her. You said she was never convinced that you broke it off because you were mad about her wanting you to run for office. You said she was convinced that you were seeing someone else and that you left her to be with that woman. I started to think how she abruptly stopped harassing you. I thought maybe she was trying to find me…well not me specifically, but whomever you are with. So Huck and Quinn helped me to keep an eye on her," Olivia stopped her explanation to see his reaction.

He looked a little grumpy, but he was listening.

"At first it was pretty boring. She went to her office, then to court, and then back home. We thought it was strange that she never visited any wedding related stores to cancel the plans…"

"Maybe she called to cancel, Livy. There are other ways to communicate," Fitz said. He was up from the bed undressing.

"We thought that too so we checked the schedule of weddings at St. John's Cathedral. Yours is still on the books. We checked with your florist, bakery, and honeymoon destination. None of the plans have been cancelled," Olivia said now up on her knees in the bed.

"How did you know about all those wedding plans? I did not know the vendors she chose for any of those things," Fitz asked, thought he already knew the answer to this question because he knew her. "Livy, I could shake you right now. You, Huck, and Quinn broke into her house, didn't you!" he screamed grasping her by her upper arms. "Your asses could have been caught! Is that what you want? Do you want to go to prison, Olivia?"

"No, Fitz! Stop screaming at me. I am not finished. I know what we did was risky, but it was worth what we found out. Stop manhandling me and listen," Olivia pleaded raising her voice raised as high as his.

He let her go and she bounced back on the bed. "After we discovered that she had not canceled any plans, we started following her. Before you blow a gasket, I never got close to her. Quinn and Huck got close. The average person on the street has no idea who I am or Huck for that matter. I won't go into the details of our surveillance but we found out that she has someone named Joline following you around. She follows you from work to home some nights. Fitz, she now knows that you live here, at the brownstone. We are pretty confident that she has not seen you and me together, but I know she has seen you and Tim. It is only a matter of time before she and Joline find out about us. We think you should contact her and set up a meeting. Maybe you can see what she wants or find out her plans." Olivia observed Fitz. He was not responding to anything she said. He just looked angry.

"Fitz! Say something please. I know you are mad, but we had to do it. She is planning to surprise us with something. Baby, say something!"

"How could you be so stupid? Mellie is a criminal prosecutor and you break into her house. I am sleeping in the other room tonight before I do or say something I regret." Fitz turned and walked out of the bedroom.

"Stupid? You cannot call me stupid," Olivia walked off the bed to follow him. "You are stupid for thinking she was going to give up so easily."

"Do you even hear what you are saying Olivia? You gave me a fucking ultimatum remember? Either I leave Mellie cold turkey or it was over between us. Now you are calling me stupid for doing what you demanded!" Fitz stopped and turned around to face her.

"Just because I asked you to stop seeing her did not mean you should not keep an eye on what she is doing. You are the FBI agent for god's sake!" Olivia shouted.

"…Who is in love with a psycho! Now leave me the hell alone!" Fitz walked away with Olivia trailing behind her until he slammed the guest bedroom's door in her face.

"Fitz! Fitz! Open this damn door! We are not finished with this conversation," Olivia screamed banging on the door. "Fitz! Fitz! I am sorry. Come on. We should talk about this! Who is running now?"

Olivia waited by the door, but he would not open it. She had an overwhelming urge to flee. She had many places she could go, Tim's, Huck's or Quinn's apartments. She could also go to her parents in New Jersey. The only place she really wanted to be was on the other side of the door with him. She walked away from the door and back into their bedroom. She crawled under the covers of their bed. Olivia heard the door to the other bedroom open and relief flooded her because she knew he was coming to bed. When the hall bathroom door closed and the pipes rumbled, she knew he was taking a shower. She thought about joining him, but she felt that he should be the one to return since he was the one who left their bed. Olivia tried to pretend like she was asleep when the water stopped and the door closed. She realized sadly that he had returned to the guest room. That only made her upset and restless. How dare he!

She picked up her cell phone and texted Tim.

Olivia: Whatcha' doin' bro?

When he did not respond. She sent another one.

Olivia: Timmy, you sleep?

Olivia: Timmy?

Olivia was startled when her phone rang. It was Tim.

"Why are you calling me at 12 at night, Liv? What is wrong?" Tim said sleepily into the phone.

"I am checking on you. How is Helen Tate? Did you have lunch with her today?"

"Liv, what the hell is wrong with you? I am trying to get some sleep. You had an argument with Grant, didn't you?" Tim asked.

"No. He is asleep. Stop trying to be a know it all," Olivia muttered.

"You had an argument and by the sound of your voice. He will not talk to you. I do not want to know the details. I know he is justified whatever it is. For once he did not give in to you. You are so spoiled, sweetie. Get some sleep," Tim said.

"Timmy, I may have been in the wrong a little, but he will not even talk to me about it. I have a mind to just leave. What do you think about that?"

"Sweetie, do you want to leave?" he asked. She sounded so sad.

"No."

"Just close your eyes. He will not be able to stay away long okay. And please do not call me again tonight. Goodnight."

"Bye Timmy."

Olivia rolled over and looked at the clock. She watched the time pass, 15, 30, 45, and finally 60 minutes. She began to miss him, which she thought was idiotic since he was in the next room. Her eyes drifted close and she thought about what she would do if he broke it off with her in the morning. The thought made her slightly despondent. She began to cry silently against her pillow. Totally absorbed in her own despondency, she did not hear the knob turning or the door opening. Fitz laid down behind her and wrapped his arms and legs around her.

"Livy." He turned her over so he could see her face. "I love you. And I will not lose you. When you do things like that, it puts you in jeopardy. Promise me that you will at least talk to me before you decide to do anything risky like that. Please do not do anything else illegal."

Olivia nodded her head.

"Repeat after me, Livy. I will not do anything illegal."

"I will not do anything illegal," she parroted back, sniffling.

He was not done. "Or ask Huck or Quinn to do anything illegal."

"Or ask Huck or Quinn to do anything illegal."

"I will look into the Mellie situation. I can handle her," Fitz said.

"Okay," she said softly. "I am sorry, Fitz. I understand your concern. I do not want to lose you either."

"You will not lose me. Now is there anything else you want to discuss?"

"No."

"Tim will be cursing me out for being late in the morning. We have wasted 3 hours of loving time on this argument. I plan to make it all up now," Fitz announced settling on top of her and leaning own for a kiss.

"Mellie, thanks for meeting me on such short notice," Fitz said. He sat across from Mellie at the Russian Tea Room for lunch. Late that morning when he and Tim were on the way to work, he had shared Olivia's surveillance of Mellie with Tim. They had decided that it was a good idea for him to set up a lunch meeting with her. Tim had not told Fitz about Olivia's call that night. He did not curse Fitz out about being late either. He realized why they had argued and decided to give him a reprieve.

He sat across from Mellie who sounded almost giddy when he had phoned her at work to set up a lunch meeting.

She reached out and touched his hand. "Fitz, I was happy you called."

He wanted to pull his hand back, but he could not afford to anger her or give her cousin, Joline a reason to suspect that he was disgusted with Mellie. When he had done his normal sweep of the building, he spotted Joline easily. She was crouched behind a menu in a booth to his right. Those untrained in surveillance usually stood out the most when they were trying to look inconspicuous. They might as well wear a neon sign that reads, "Look at me!"

Fitz was unclear why Joline was helping Mellie. They had never been close in the seven years he had known Mellie. In fact she looked down on Joline.

"How have you been?" He asked.

"You know work. It never stops. I've been in court mostly. I appreciate you asking, Fitz. And you?"

Fitz did not answer immediately. He could not tell her the truth. He was like a blind man who could now see or a thirsty man who was now drinking from tall glass of water. He could not say that he was thankful he had dodged a bullet by not marrying her.

"I have been busy at work also. I was expecting a call from your parents, especially your dad. Should I call him? I would like to apologize for all this." Fitz threw that bait out there, waiting for her response.

"They are terribly sad. I do not think you should call them just yet," Mellie responded hastily.

"Are you sure? I could call them now. We could talk to them together." Fitz reached for his phone, but Mellie pushed it away.

"No, Fitz! Do not! I do not think they could take hearing from you right now." Mellie said a little too loudly.

"Okay. Can I reimburse you for any expenses from the wedding? There must be some cancellation fees. I can write you a check, Mellie."

"No. It has all been taken care of. I was able to work out a deal with the vendors. They are not charging any fees," Mellie explained.

"How about lost deposits. Just give me a number. The florist, the bakery, the reception hall?" Fitz kept pushing.

"No do not worry about it." Mellie smiled at him. She was dressed to impress him. Her outfit was tasteful but it revealed all the right amount of skin, a little cleavage, and thigh. Fitz was not moved, but he looked so that Joline and Mellie would take notice.

"You look nice today, Mellie."

"Thank you." She leaned forward, revealing more cleavage.

"You are a beautiful woman," Fitz said taking her hands in his "You are accomplished, well connected, and cultured. Any man would be lucky to have you. That man is coming, Mellie. It is just not me. You need someone who adores you…is passionate about you. I cannot give you those things. Canceling the wedding was difficult, but I know it was the right thing to do. Let us part quietly, Mellie. I think that we can honor all the years we were together, but not if we refuse to move forward. Let us move forward and give each other our blessing." Fitz hoped he sounded sincere.

"What makes you think I am not moving forward?" Mellie said. Her eyes fluttered from his to Joline who looked away quickly.

"You have not cancelled any of the vendors or wedding plans. You have your cousin following me around," Fitz said looking directly at Joline who sunk lower in her seat.

Mellie did not say a word. Her expression changed from pleasant to cold. "So this is what this lunch is about? You are confronting me?"

"Mellie, I meant every word. I want you to move on," Fitz said earnestly.

"That would make it really convenient for you. You could just discard me and move on with whomever you are trying to keep a secret. I know you are screwing someone else Fitz. Why won't you tell me who it is? You owe me that. Who is she?"

Fitz was beginning to think this was not a good idea. "This is not about anyone but you and me. We do not fit. We do not work."

"How can you say that? Seven years we were together. What we have is real, Fitz. Break this spell that has been cast on you. If you just tell me who she is, I can make it plain for you. You are just blinded by sex. I love you. She could never love you the way I do."

"If you love me then let me go. Cancel the wedding plans, and move on. Stop sending Joline to spy on me. Come on, Mellie. You know I would find out about this. Leave it alone."

Mellie stood up from the table. "I will not rest until I uncover who this bitch is, Fitz. You cannot to this to me without consequences."

"Is that a threat, Mellie?" Fitz asked.

Mellie, bent low so that her face was inches from his. "It is a promise, Fitz. There will be consequences." She walked away with Joline following behind her.

Huck settled in front of the TV with Quinn at his side. He never would have imagined they would get together. Maybe it was the long hours they spent together, hanging out at Liv's place, watching Mellie, or practicing her wrestling skills. The wrestling was the most fun, Huck thought.

"We forgot the beer. I'll get it," Quinn said, placing a kiss on his cheek.

Olivia was the only person he could tell about Quinn, but he had not gotten up enough nerve to tell her. He knew she would overreact so he thought he would keep it a secret a little while longer. Besides there was enough going on in her life at the moment.

"Hello," he said, answering the call of the unknown number that appeared on his cell phone.

There was silence.

"Hello. Hello. Okay, I am hanging up now."

"Huck. It is me, Abby. You have to help me. I want to come back home," a small voice said.

Huck looked up at Quinn when she entered the room.

"Who is it?" Quinn asked.

"I want to know everything about her. What she does…who she sees…what she wears…what she eats…how many ways can I tell you to give me everything. No detail is too trivial. Do you understand?" she said to the man. "My client is paying an exorbitant amount for this service. The client should get what the client is paying for. I expect to be able to give my client a daily report. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am. I will get to work," he said.