Chapter 13

The Breach, Part II

Olivia kneaded the dough several times before punching it in the center with all the strength she could muster. She was trying to block out Bridget's voice.

"So who are you running from, Liv? Please don't give me that line about needing to move around to evade the authorities because you've been living in New York for almost a decade without getting caught. You owe me at least the truth since I am letting you stay here," Bridget demanded. "And you can let that be your last loaf for a couple of days since you are making bread faster than we can sell it, which is saying a lot given the amount of loaves we sell per day." Bridget stood with her arms crossed and her hip propped against the stainless steel kitchen utility table Olivia used as her sounding board while she kneaded the bread. She watched Olivia manipulate the mound of dough.

Surprisingly, baking had become a favorite pastime for Olivia in the month since she left New York for New Brunswick, New Jersey. With Huck's help she had orchestrated the perfect disappearing act. Her decision to leave Fitz had not been premeditated, but it had come to her immediately during their conversation about Agent Lee. In that instant she knew she had to leave. She felt lost and invisible. In her mind, it was only a matter of time before Fitz would see her the way she saw herself, empty and lost. She called Huck and told him about her decision to leave Fitz. He reminded her to leave her diamond studs behind since that was the location of the tracking device Fitz had implanted, a discovery Huck had made at Olivia's request. By the time Huck tracked it down, Fitz had already assigned Tom and Hal to escort her around. The earrings had been a gift from her mother, and she rarely went without them so they had been the perfect item on which to place a bug.

After throwing on Fitz's t-shirts, gym shorts, and flip flops-a safeguard against any other bugs-she made her way to the train station to meet Huck. At first, he didn't believe Olivia really wanted to leave Fitz. He was convinced they had a lover's spat and that she needed to cool off. After she insisted she was really leaving, Huck had called his sister, Bridget. In less than an hour, they were at Bridget's doorstep. She was excited to see Huck in the flesh. They had only spoken by phone over the years. She put aside her less than charitable feelings toward Olivia and welcomed them both.

Bridget knew about the life Huck and Olivia had lived over the past decade. For years, the FBI had surveilled her, waiting for Huck to make contact. In recent years, she felt certain that she was no longer under scrutiny since the trail for OPs had long gone cold. Bridget agreed to let Olivia stay with her provided she help around the bakery since her one employee had recently quit. Olivia was only planning to stay for as long as it took for Huck to get tickets and identification for both of them to leave for Rome. Huck returned to New York and set in motion the bait and switch plan to deliberately put Fitz and Tim off her trail.

Once she had settled in at Bridget's house, Olivia was left with the truth: She regretted leaving Fitz. No amount of rationalization about her leaving being the best for both of them erased the palatable pain and ache of his absence. She didn't realize how bonded she was to him until she was without him. Nighttime was most difficult so she rarely slept. She lost weight. Bridget noticed her despondency and decided to help. She taught her how to make bread. Olivia took to it like a fish to water, which became a boon to Bridget's bakery in the last weeks. Then Olivia experimented and made her own brand of ugly, twisty bread which consisted of two croissant like pieces twisted together topped with a sweet glaze. Long lines of eager patrons formed outside the door every morning for a chance to get buy the pastry. Everyone wanted to meet the baker, but keeping it a secret added to the appeal. Making bread and now pastries provided the mental and physical outlet Olivia needed to focus her attention on something besides Fitz. It actually worked sometimes.

Olivia looked up from her project and eyed Bridget. She and Huck were a lesson in contrasts. Bridget was tall, but Huck was not. Bridget was extroverted and gregarious, but Huck was quiet and unassuming.

"Bridget, I don't want to talk about my personal life...really there is nothing to share," Olivia responded dismissively.

"Personal life? You are living in my home so you don't have a personal life. I have a right to know what is going on! Whether or not you are quote, unquote retiring from stealing art, my brother still follows you around like an obedient puppy. You've destroyed his life, Liv. You've used him to the point that he will never have a normal life. You are an entitled, selfish bitch!" Bridget railed before pushing off from the table and slamming the door to her small office beside the kitchen.

Olivia sighed. She rolled the dough into a ball, placed it in a bowl, and covered it with a cloth. She walked grudgingly to the door, knowing she needed to smooth things over with Bridget. "Bridget, let me in." When she didn't respond, Olivia pushed open the door and sat in the chair facing her at the desk. Bridget angrily pecked at the keys of her laptop.

"I appreciate you letting me stay here. I know it is hard since you don't care for me, Bridget. You've never liked me. I get it. You see me as this witch who led your brother down the wrong path. But, that's not true. Stop painting Huck as some weakling and me as some big bad bully. Huck is strong, smart, and caring. I wouldn't have made it through the accident without him," Olivia said. Bridget finally looked at her. "I am not running from anyone. I am taking control of my life. Please don't fight me. There is nothing else to tell. I do hear you, though. I took it for granted that Huck would come with me when I leave. I'll talk to him about it. Maybe he doesn't want to go with me. Despite how you feel about me, I so appreciate this time I spent working at your bakery."

Olivia smiled and clasped her hands together in front of her lips. "I don't think I'll ever be able to go a day without making bread. It's like I have to knead dough every day now. Thanks for teaching me. It beats a heist any day."

Olivia's comments pushed all the tension out of the room. They both laughed at the same time. The sound of their laughter filled the room until Brenda was the only one laughing. Olivia was holding back tears that were beginning to overflow and cascade down her cheeks.

"Liv, I'm sorry for what I said about you, but those look like man tears. Lord knows I cried enough of them."

"I miss him, Bridget and..." Olivia began quietly.

"Miss whom, Livy?" Bridget asked, softly.

Olivia gasped and looked at Bridget, a shocked expression flashed across her face.

"What did you say? Why did you call me that?" Olivia demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Bridget asked.

"Now, I'm hearing things...never mind I thought you called me, 'Livy.' That's what Fitz called me. That's who I miss. I-I met someone a couple of months ago. We got close really fast, but my past just complicated the relationship too much. What I'm going to say may not make sense, but he didn't really see me or he saw a me I don't want to be…this weak slip of woman who needs saving, policing, monitoring. Maybe if I had met him at a different time, things would have been different. He thinks he loves me, but he can't because I'm not that woman…so I had to leave...not matter how hard it is. Had I stayed, when all the dust cleared, he would have left me so I just ended it."

"What did he say? Did he try to make you stay? Was he abusive or something...policing you…monitoring you? What does that mean?" Bridget asked.

"I didn't tell him I was leaving. I just left. I knew he wouldn't listen to me if I tried to explain. He's a lot like my brother, Tim...sort of arrogant and a know it all. They are best friends now so I have to deal with both of them. Fitz is the Deputy Director of the FBI, Bridget and Tim now works for him," Olivia explained.

"Well shut the front door, Liv! How did you manage to meet much less get in a relationship with the freakin' Director of the organization that is supposed to, and I don't mean anything by this but, lock people like you up? I don't get it," Bridget mused. "But let me get this straight, you left without a word and have been gone for a little over a month. I'm surprised he or Tim hasn't come looking for you."

"Huck has been deliberately putting them on the wrong trail. He's made them believe that I've been contacting him from different places. Fitz will put resources there and find a dead end. He's looked in Portland, Mexico, Bermuda, and Toronto because I've supposedly contacted Huck from those locations. That has bought us time until Huck gets our tickets and ID. It's been difficult, but last week he was finally able to iron out the details. Bridget, I know it sounds cruel for me to do this to him, but it has to be this way. To be really honest, if Fitz wanted to find me he could. That fact that he hasn't is another reason why leaving was the right thing to do. It gave him an out too. Fitz and I aren't supposed to be together. I'll never regret meeting him because he really helped Tim. That's all that matters..."

"I hear a but..." Bridget said. Olivia looked pained to continue.

"Every day I am away from him, the pain of not being with him gets worse not better. I am starting to regret leaving him. I thought I was taking control by leaving, but now I feel a little out of control. That's why I am glad Huck has the tickets. I am ready to get to Rome. I really need a change of scenery. Being so close...knowing he is just a train ride away is really hard. Oh, Bridget...the more I talk, the more messed up I sound."

"Olivia, this just my opinion. I'm not expert on relationships since I haven't be in a really good or healthy one yet," Bridget said with a self-conscious chuckle, "But it would be a mistake to leave without talking to him. What about your brother? Are you never going to see him again too? You say they are friends so how is that going to work?"

"I don't know. I plan to contact Tim and my parents when I get settled in Rome." Olivia said.

"I think you should call Fitz and ask him to meet you. Talk to him. Tell him everything you told me. It's obvious that you love him. I can hear it in your voice...see it in your eyes. Please don't punish him for not finding you when you and Huck deliberately bamboozled him with those bogus locations. That's as twisty as the bread you make. Don't play games with people and especially their emotions. No matter how far you go, that hurt is still going to be there. If he doesn't see the real you, then show him. If he and Tim are bossing you around, face them head on and tell them to stop, Liv. Maybe Fitz isn't seeing the real you because you aren't acting like the real you...wow, Liv...I sound like a real therapist and I'm helping someone who I couldn't stand to look at for years now...but I am really beginning to think about liking you...now come on...I think we need to make some bread. What other ideas do you have up your sleeve?" Bridget grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her out of the chair.

Quinn sat on the sofa next to Tim. They sat in that familiar way that two people who have been intimate sit. They absently touched each other just wanting to be close to the other. Huck sat in the recliner to the right of them on the sofa uninterested in the budding relationship of Tim and Quinn even though he and Quinn had recently been a couple. Fitz sat in the armchair across from Huck with his foot resting on the opposite knee and his hands resting light on his thighs. He looked at Huck through slightly squinted eyes as if he was seeing him for the first time.

"So you say that Olivia has contacted you again? Did you at least keep the text message this time? Before I send any more operatives to these locations, I want to be sure," Fitz said coolly.

"It wasn't a text message, Fitz. It was a letter this time," Huck said. He rose and reached in his pocket for the envelope and handed across the coffee table to him.

With a surprised expression, Fitz reached for the letter as if it was a valuable possession. He sat back down and ran his fingers across the handwriting. "It's her handwriting," he whispered. He pulled the paper from the envelope and slowly unfolded it. "Hi Huck, I'm settling in El Paso, TX. Here's my address. 3313 Standhope CT El Paso, TX 79821. I'll contact you when I have a phone. Love, Liv," Fitz read. "It's her handwriting here too."

Tim reached over and took the letter from Fitz. "Yes, this is her handwriting. We need to run this in the system," Tim said.

"I have to go now. I'm not feeling too well today. Let me know what you find out," said Huck. He rose from his seat and left without a word. When the door closed, Fitz rose quickly from his chair and began to tear the letter into shreds.

"I can't believe she would do this! I never thought Liv would go this far. This whole damn bait and switch was one thing, but to write a bogus letter in her own handwriting? Does she really want to leave me this much? I regret what I said about Agent Lee that morning. I regret not involving her in resolving this thing with Harrison and Abby! She can't want to get away from me this much! Fuck!"

"Fitz, calm down," Quinn said with concern.

"Yeah, Fitz. Liv has made her bread and now you have to lie in it," Tim said jokingly. "She just needs a little more time to cool off. They will start getting ready for what they think is a trip to Rome and all this will be over."

"Tim, shut the hell up! I am not listening to you anymore. Listening to you is why I am in this mess. That shit you say to her is demeaning. You can get away with it as her brother, but I can't and shouldn't. She's had over a month to "cool" off, but I shouldn't have let her think I didn't know where she was. I should have gone after her immediately. She is not cooling off, but planning to leave the damn country. And Huck! I don't know what to do about him. I am mad at him, but I can't be mad at him. He's been very loyal and she trusts him. She should trust me like that," Fitz argued as he paced the room.

"Fitz, you are overreacting. Olivia needed this time alone away from you and probably me for that matter. She..." Tim began.

"I don't care what you think or know at this point, Tim. I know you love Olivia, but this is not your fight. I am going to get her. If she wants to leave me, she'll have to tell me face to face!"

"Okay, we can leave tomorrow, Fitz," Tim said.

"No, this is between Liv and me. I am leaving now. Alone," Fitz said before leaving Tim's apartment.

Quinn moved over onto Tim's lap. "For such a smart man, you can be so dumb sometimes, Tim," Quinn said, shaking her head. "It is time for you to really butt out of their relationship. Yes, you know Liv really well, but she is a grown woman in a grown up relationship. She can take care of herself."

Tim laid his head back on the sofa and let out an exasperated breath. "I guess you are right. I've really missed her. I'm glad he's going to get her. I am really glad I didn't go with him. I don't want to be anywhere near them when they see each other again after all these weeks." Tim mused.

Quinn smiled, "Oh yeah. Serious sparks will fly."

Bridget looked at the clock. It read 6:30. In thirty minutes, it would be closing time. She began cleaning the small circle tables and the counters around the small dining area. Noticing some empty change in the corner, she bent over to pick it up and then walked it over to the tip jar. The jingle if the doorbell alerted her to an entering patron. Brenda turned around and raised her eyebrows at the handsome, sexy specimen of a man who entered the dining room. He wore jeans, a blue pole shirt and light jacket. He removed his aviator glasses to reveal serious eyes. Maybe he is my prince charming, she thought.

"How can I help you?" Bridget asked, brightly, trying to sound appealing. She cursed herself silently for her frumpy clothes and apron. It had been a long day and she knew she looked haggard.

"I'm looking for your baker, Oli-" Fitz tried to say.

Bridget rolled her eyes and whispered, "damned baker groupies," under her breath before cutting him off. "Our baker doesn't meet customers. See the sign on the door?" Bridget pointed behind him in exasperation.

Fitz smirked slightly. "You're Bridget, right? Huck's sister? I am here for Olivia. I am Fitzgerald Grant and it is imperative that I see her now," he said.

Bridget's eyes widened. "So you're Fitz? Wow. She's going to have a coronary when she see's you. Where the hell have you been anyway? Wait, don't answer that. Fitz, she is sleeping right now. She has singlehandedly baked 144 pieces of pastries today including bread, muffins, and such. Why don't you come back first thing in the morning?"

"No. Just show me to her room. I'm need to see her now," Fitz said nonplussed.

Bridget now understood what Olivia meant when she described him as arrogant. She knew that he wasn't going anywhere until he saw her. "She's upstairs, 2nd door on the left."

"Thank you, Bridget," Fitz said. He walked passed her and down the hallway.

"Whew, what a man," she whispered to herself as she continued her closing duties.

Olivia was dreaming. She and Fitz were sitting on a Central Park bench sharing an ice cream cone. Olivia didn't want to share so Fitz was licking the dripping cream from her fingers to loosen her grip on the cone. His tongue was tickling her, but she was trying to hold on. Olivia woke with a start and set upright in the bed. She smiled involuntarily, still immersed in her dream, at Fitz who was sitting in the chair across the room from her.

"Hello, Livy."

Olivia's heart went from normal to beating off the charts. She squeezed her eyes shut and looked at the chair again.

"I'm here in the flesh. You're not dreaming," he said. He rose from his chair to sit beside her on the bed. "You've been gone for 5 weeks, 3 days, 5 hours, and 37 minutes. You left me, Livy. Why?"

Olivia sat up, attempting to catch her breath and process his presence in her room.