Hey guys! sorry it took so long to update this chapter but I honestly didn't like it so I had to re-vamp it a couple of times. Anyway, here's the finished product. Fitz and Liv have their first little spat but no worries. This is a love story so of course things work out in the end. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome.! Xoxo

I Do Not Own Scandal

"You're a little slut!" Frankie teased as she and Harrison sat on Olivia's bed while she picked out an outfit for her meetings. Liv threw a tennis shoe at Frankie but hit Harrison in the arm instead.

"Hey! Stop throwing shit!" Harrison whined as he rubbed his arm.

"Sorry." Liv said as she walked over and kissed his cheek.

"I'm not a slut, Frankie. Before Fitz I hadn't slept with anyone since Marcello. Three years is a long time baby sis." Liv said as she stepped into her walk-in closet to dress.

"I know it's just… you don't know him. I'm just looking out for you." Frankie yelled.

"I appreciate that. I love that you care about who I'm sleeping with but with Fitz it's just… different. He's different. It's like he knows me."

"Oh, he knows you alright." Harrison said with a wink causing both Frankie and Olivia to giggle like school girls.

Liv walked out of her closet in a white blouse and brown tweed suit jacket that showed off her figure nicely. She was wearing a very tight pair of skinny jeans that hugged every curve and a pair of brown leather pumps. Harrison and Frankie both gave her a "thumbs up" and she walked over to join them on her bed.

"Listen Liv," Harrison began, "I've seen the way you two are with each other, Frankie you have too. You see how he looks at her. He worships the ground you walk on, Liv. That's enough for me." Harrison said as he got up to leave. "Just take it slow. You don't need to rush things with him. He'll stick around for you." He said as he exited her room. Liv could only smile at her best friend.

"Liv."

"Frankie, please just be happy for me. I'm having fun and that…"

"Liv," Frankie said as she took her sisters hand in hers, "I am happy for you. You haven't been this happy in a long time and that alone makes me happy. I'm just worried, is all. Fitz does seem like a great guy but I don't know him enough to trust him. You met two days ago and you, the woman who took three years to decide she was "officially" in love with Marcello, are already talking about how you love this and love that about him. I think you love him. You're in love with a man you met two days ago. That's cause for concern." Frankie said as she looked into her sisters eyes. She knew her inside and out, they were basically the same and had been through so much together that it was easy to notice when something big happened emotionally between either of them.

"Frankie, I don't know how I feel. It could just be puppy love, but either way Fitz is a good guy. I don't know what else to tell you."

They sat in silence for a moment. Liv knew it wasn't puppy love but she knew she had to convince her sister that she wasn't rushing into things. There was nothing more in the world that she wanted than a man she could call her equal and Fitz was just that. He was her dream guy.

Just then a brilliant idea popped into Liv's mind. "How about you, me, Harrison, and Fitz have dinner at his place on Friday? That way you and Harrison can grill him on anything you want." Liv said smiling. Frankie knew her sister well enough to know she really wanted her to be okay with Fitz. She could have just brushed it off as her being over protective but Liv really took everything Frankie said to heart, they both did.

"Fine. I'll make sure my schedule is clear and we'll do dinner." Frankie said reluctantly.

"Good. I'll check with Fitz and I'll confirm tomorrow."

Liv kissed her sister on the cheek and pulled her off her bed so they could head downstairs.

They had about an hour before the meeting but the gallery was just a short walk away from Liv's loft so all three of them decided to walk down to the café on the corner and grab a quick bit to eat. On the way they informed Harrison of their dinner date on Friday and he willingly accepted the invitation.

Fitz opted out of going back home once he dropped Olivia off and decided to take a tour of the city, taking in all of the attractions. He stopped at Casa Milà and La Sagrada Familia which were both designed by Antonio Gaudi, the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, and the Barri Gotic (Gothic quarter). He loved everything about Barcelona and he enjoyed spending his day being a tourist and learning more about the history of the beautiful city.

As he walked the streets and squares of the Barri Gotic he took in the tragic beauty of the remains of historic landmarks. The buildings were somewhat haunting and made his heart break. Something about these abandoned and broken shells of a once vibrant and bustling portion of the city brought him back to his memories of Mellie's death. The dark quarters of the old city of Barcelona that made him remember how tragically broken their love was. How broken and unfixable their marriage was even with the pregnancy. How even though his heart broke for the death of his poor baby girl who didn't get a chance in life, his heart never took a moment to grieve the loss of his wife of almost fifteen years. Was his pain and anger and resentment towards her enough to block out all of the time and effort they'd put into their marriage. They had a partnership and that was it. At one point, when they were young and stupid, they were truly friends. Their friendship ended as soon as Mellie decided that their careers meant more than having a family or vacations or anniversaries.

They were a business and nothing more, so no. He did not grieve for the loss of his business partner and the walls of these ancient buildings, the dark crevices and the gothic figurines brought him to a place he hadn't been in years. A portion of his memory that he'd buried in the back of his mind because he hated himself for feeling those things about his wife. He hated himself for letting her be so controlling and not loving him the way he deserved. He hated himself for trying to make things work and for not just leaving her. He hated himself for not finding Olivia sooner because maybe, just maybe his life wouldn't be in shambles and he wouldn't need Olivia as much as he did now. He wouldn't need her to pick up the pieces of his broken soul because she would have been there, she would have loved him and continued to love him for who he is, not for his father or a business.

Walking alone, for hours it seemed. He walked and walked until he came to an opening. An opening that lead out of the darkness and to the sea. The Mediterranean Sea that was just on the outskirts of the old city, that lead to freedom. In that moment Fitz realized that Olivia was his freedom. She was the one who would help him rebuild his soul.

What he didn't know was that he would do the same thing for her. Destiny had brought them together for a reason. Fitz needed to be healed from his broken and loveless marriage while Olivia needs to be healed from the horrific events of her past. The journey they were about to partake on was in deed going to be rough but in the end, they would find a love so deep and pure that no one could break them.

Fitz was walking along the beach when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Fitz! How's the writing going? I know you said you'd call me when you had something but I'm getting hounded by publisher and editors. Everyone is dying for this new book!" Cyrus spoke briskly into the phone.

"Yeah Cy, I think I have something. It's not much but it's coming together." Fitz said as he stared out into the beautiful blue water. The waves were crashing onto shore and all he could think about was Olivia. The restless water, waves crashing, the smell of the sea, all of it reminded him of her.

"Good! Well how much have you written? I know it's been two days but I mean you have to at least have ten pages worth of good material. I know you Fitz. If you're writing for the right reasons then it's all good." Cy said half elated at knowing Fitz actually had some material. Fitz thought for a second at how many pages he'd actually written. When he first ran into Olivia, when they had their first real conversation, he wrote almost twenty pages. He was sure at least ten of those pages were just random words that filled his mind. But the night they made love, last night? He had no clue. He didn't check. He knew he had a good three hours of writing before Olivia came downstairs but three hours of non-stop writing could be between ten and thirty pages with him. If something pulled his attention enough he could write at least one hundred pages of decent material in three days. For the last three days all of his focus and energy had been on one person, Olivia Pope.

"I don't know Cy, I know it's less than one hundred but more than thirty. It's coming along. Just don't worry about anything. I'm taking my time with this one."

"That's just it, Fitz, you don't have time! Everyone understood when you took some time off after Mellie and the baby but eight years is too long. People are starting to think you've lost your touch, that you're retiring. I will not let them put you out of the community that your family has dominated for centuries. You are a Grant and Grants do not stop!"

"What if I am done, Cy! Would that be so bad? I don't want to be done writing, I love it. It feeds my soul, but at what cost? I'm not going to sell my soul and wright bullshit just to put out a piece of material. No. I refuse to do such a thing so you will tell everyone to shove it and when I have a book, when I am ready I will send it to them." Fitz said as he hung up the phone, leaving Cy speechless on the other end.

Liv met with the gallery owner at 10:30 to discuss her possibly having a permanent exhibit in the gallery. They would rotate her art work every six months to a year depending on how popular a particular exhibit was. They talked about possibly doing some of her portrait work first and then doing her historical works later on in the year. The meeting lasted about two hours and when the final details were done and she signed on the dotted line, she needed to run home and start making a list of all of her paintings that would be going into the gallery before her event planning meeting that was now pushed back to 2:30.

After making somewhat of a list with Frankie, Liv jumped into her car and drove the thirty minutes to the hotel where her charity event would be held in a month. This was the first meeting with the event planner but it was sure to be a long one because she needed to plan everything out now. Once Liv decided what she wanted there was no going back, usually. She had everything in mind she just needed to work out all of the kinks and put a budget to the event. She also needed to get in contact with the International Children's Art Foundation today and go over what pieces were going up for auction. It was rare that Liv's life was this busy but today was one of those rare occasions.

After making floor plans, arrangements, figuring out a color scheme, deciding what finger foods and what champagne would be offered among the billion other small details that had to be seen too Liv was finally able to relax. When she got home, she went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine and raid her fridge for something to eat. She settled on the chicken salad she'd made a day or so ago and made her way to the couch to unwind where, before she knew it, she fell asleep.

It was almost eight when Liv finally opened her eyes. She stared at the half full glass of wine and the un-eaten chicken salad and rolled her eyes. She hated extremely long days, especially when they did not involve painting. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, thinking over the day's events. Looking back on her meetings and all of the planning she realized she hadn't heard from Fitz all day. She figured he must be writing but she wanted to hear his voice so she called him, hoping he wasn't too busy to answer.

After three rings he finally picked up.

"Hi" He said in a somewhat strained voice. She immediately took notice.

"Hi. What's wrong?"

After A long walk on the beach Fitz made his way back to his car and drove back home. He looked over the landscape as he drove, taking in its beauty and somewhat rugged terrain. As he drive up to the gate leading to the property he realized he hadn't heard from Liv all day. He knew she had a full plate but he was just hoping she would call. He needed to hear her voice.

Once he got into the house he decided to go for a ride to take his mind off of everything so he ran upstairs to change. Since he was little he'd always loved horses. When he was ten his dad bought him a tan palomino pony named Whip because he tended to whip his tail at anyone who walked past him. Fitz fell in love at first sight and quickly bonded with the horse. He would ride for hours on the vast land of their family property that was situated on the Santa Barbra coast. He would ride to clear his head and get away from his father who was always jumping down his throat about the family name and making sure he kept it alive. He rode to be free form anything and everything.

When he reached the stables, he greeted the main handler and walked in. He'd been there already when he first went on a tour of the property and fell in love with the beautiful black and white speckled horse named Haraldo. He was a large stallion with a mild temper and a beautiful canter. He saddled up the horse after brushing him down a bit and cleaning out his hooves and mounted him, taking in the vast landscape of the property. With a dig of his heels they took off almost immediately, riding towards the sunset.

He and Haraldo were at the edge of the property when the sun had reached its lowest point in the sky. He looked out over the terrain and saw the sea just below them. He took in the soft breeze and the smell of the sea as his mind started to drift off. He wanted so much for his little girl to be there with him. He wanted to teach her to ride and show her the world. He had so many plans for her, for them. He wanted to give her everything and now he had nothing. He had no family that he actually cared to be around and the thought killed him. His family had always considered him the black sheep. Someone not fit to be a Grant. He was brilliant but he never "fit in". He was a rebel, doing as he pleased and goofing off. The only time his family approved of anything he did is when he married Mellie. They were so happy that he did something they asked of him, "Marry a girl with class. Someone who is brilliant and feisty and can run with the big dogs. She has to be of the right pedigree but she can't be too outspoken, that would ruin the image." That was Mellie. She was all of those things but she wasn't loving. Sure she probably loved him in her own way but it wasn't in a way that Fitz could grasp. He sighed as he thought back on his life the past 48 years and couldn't think of anything to show for it. Except for meeting Liv.

As soon as she popped into his head he heard his phone ring. Fishing it out of the satchel he'd placed on the side of Haraldo's saddle he looked at the screen and smiled as her name flashed across it.

"Nothing. I was just riding. I needed to clear my head. I'm about to head back to the house now. Wanna come over? I need to see you." Fitz said, hoping she wasn't too tired.

"I'll be there in fifteen." She hung up the phone, put away her wine and chicken salad, and walked out the door.

When Olivia arrived at the main house Fitz was standing at the door waiting for her. She jumped out of the car and made her way to him.

"Fifteen minutes exactly." Fitz said with a smile as reached him.

"Hi" she said with a smile plastered on her face. She was genuinely excited and happy to see him even though it had been less than 13 hours since they last saw each other.

"Hi" Fitz said as he pulled her into an embrace. His arms wrapped around her small frame as he pulled her close. Liv willingly fell victim to his touch and wrapped her arms around him.

"You smell like a man." She said slightly giggling.

"What do you mean by that?" Fitz asked, eyebrow cocked in amusement.

"I mean you smell like you've been working. The mixture of your natural musk and your cologne along with leather and the smell of horses, I like it. It's kinda sexy." Liv said as she pressed up to the balls of her feet to press and quick kiss onto his lips.

"Oh, so I'm sexy? I'll take it." Fitz said as he brought a hand up to her cheek and stroked it lightly. Liv could tell that something was wrong with him. She could see it in his eyes. She tried to speak on it but was cut off before she could utter a word.

"So, have you eaten yet? I can whip up something for us to eat." Fitz said as he released her from his grasp.

"I'm actually quite hungry. I wouldn't mind a glass of wine if you have any." She said as she walked behind him to the kitchen taking in his very lean body and how his jeans hugged him in all the right places.

"I do." He said as he gestured to the open bottle sitting on the island in the middle of the kitchen. He took out two wine glasses and poured them both a healthy amount. Liv smiled at him and in return he kissed her gently on the cheek.

"So, how was your day?" He asked as he turned to walk to the fridge.

"Long." Liv said in a slightly exasperated tone. "I had a meeting with a gallery owner today to see if I could get some of my artwork in rotation, he said yes. Thank God. And then I had a meeting with my event planner for a charity event I have going on next month. Let's just say it was a very tedious day. Then I'll be in and out of town for the next few weeks so I had to make some calls to the portrait models. Just a really long day." Liv said as she took a large sip of her wine.

"You're going out of town? For how long?" Fitz asked as he pulled out a chopping board and a knife, setting it on the island in front of her.

"Well I'll be in Florence for four days starting on Sunday then I'll be back for two days. Then I go to Paris for three days then straight to Mykonos and then Santorini for a week then I'm back for the charity event."

"Wow. So you're working on portraits while you're gone?" Fitz asked as he handed her a bowl full of veggies to chop.

"Mostly. I have a meeting with Marcello in Paris, which is why I'm going there. That's the only real down time I'll have." She said as she began to chop a bell pepper.

"Marcello? I take it he's one of your friends." Fitz said as he grabbed a carrot and started chopping next to her.

"Yeah. I haven't seen him in almost two years but he's a professor at one of the major art schools there and he wants me to do a workshop for the grad program starting in the fall." Liv said blandly. She didn't want Fitz to know that she and Marcello were at one time much more than friends. In fact there was talk of marriage. She also didn't want him to know because he didn't need to know. She didn't have feelings for him like that anymore.

"Well I'm just glad I get you till Sunday." Fitz said as he kissed her gently.

"That you do." Liv mumbled against his lips. After a few moments they pulled away from each other and continued chopping. Liv couldn't put her finger on it but the kiss was so distant. Like he wasn't really there. His mind was definitely somewhere else. She paused for a moment but decided to let it go.

"Oh, and we have a dinner date on Friday with Frankie and Harrison if you're free."

"Dinner with Frankie and Harrison? I feel like this might be a grill session." Olivia giggled at that statement because it was.

"You're so very smart." She said as she finished chopping. Liv set down her knife and walked behind Fitz. She pressed her body into him and snaked her arms round his body. At first he tensed at her touch but after a moment he allowed himself to relax into her.

"Frankie just wants to get a better feel for you. Its been a while since I've been with someone and actually cared enough to introduce him to my family so she feels an obligation as my sister to make sure you're a good guy."

"And Harrison?"

"Harrison thinks you're great. He'll just kill you if you hurt me." She said in the most serious tone she could.

"Well in that case, yes I'm free on Friday for dinner." Fitz said with a chuckle. "Am I cooking?"

"No. I'll cook. As long as we can have our gathering here. I don't have an actual dining room or table." Liv giggled as she pulled herself closer to him.

"Sounds like a plan, Ms. Pope."

They prepared the rest of dinner in a wave of somewhat comfortable silence. Later after they finished eating and made small talk, Liv and Fitz found themselves cuddled on the couch listening to Fitz's "Jazz Greats" playlist. Liv was nestled under his arm, her head resting on his chest. She closed her eyes as she listened to the sound of his heartbeat and to her surprise it still beat at the same pace as hers, she smiled to herself.

Fitz sighed heavily which brought her out of her cocoon of peace.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she sat up to look him in the eyes.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you sounded upset on the phone when I called earlier plus you've been awkwardly quiet and distant." She said softly.

"I was upset earlier but that was- earlier. I'm fine. Now come here." Fitz said as he pulled her into his lap so that she was straddling him. He tried to kiss her but she brought her hands up to his face and pulled back.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Liv said as she looked into his eyes. He stared back at her, his eyes clouded and full of pain.

"Yes. Now can we please stop talking?" Fitz said as he reached for the hem of her shirt. She put her hands over his and shook her head.

"No. We're not having sex until you tell me what's up." Fitz sighed heavily and moved her off of his lap.

"Liv, I don't want to talk about this." He was getting irritated. He didn't know why but he did know he didn't want to talk about this. He never wanted to bring up his true feelings about Mellies death.

"Maybe you'll feel better if you do." She said as she took his hand in hers.

"Liv! Stop it. I'm done. Please. Just stop trying to get me to talk about this. Let it go!" Fitz yelled as he snatched his hand away from her. Olivia was speechless. She honestly didn't know how to react to him. She was hurt because she though he trusted her enough to talk about anything. After a moment of shock, she finally found the words to speak.

"Fitz, you're upset. I get that. I understand you not wanting to talk about it, believe me but you think you're the only one who has lost someone? Really?" She paused to look him in the eyes but he turned his head away. "Fine. You don't have to talk but you will not raise your voice at me. Not when all I want to do is help you. I like you, a lot. Fitz, I just want you to be happy and seeing you so upset… It hurts me. So when you want to talk, you let me know. I'm here for you but you can't shut me out. You're not alone in this." There were tears in Liv's eyes but she refused to let them fall. Fitz couldn't help but want to take her into his arms, to wipe the tears away and tell her he was sorry but he was angry.

He didn't speak. He couldn't. The look on her face, the sadness and confusion about what was going on, killed him.

"Nothing? Great. I'll go." Liv said as she grabbed her jacket. Her movement shocked him out of his locked position. "she's leaving" he said to himself. "Wait, Liv." Fitz chocked out as she stood up and walked out of the living room.

"Livvie!" Fitz yelled after her as she made her way to the door. He ran full speed, he needed to catch her. To tell her how sorry he was. He knew she was trying to help. Lucky for him she left her car keys in the kitchen and he almost ran into her when he ran around the corner.

"Livvie, wait." Fitz said as he grabbed onto her checking to see if he'd hurt her in his haste.

"What, Fitz?" Her voice cracked. She briefly looked at him but tore her eyes away when she felt her walls crumbling.

"Look, I'm sorry. I know you just wanted to help me but, please. Don't be upset. I just can't talk about it. Not right now. I promise I'll tell you when I'm ready. Please, forgive me?" His hands were stroking her cheek but she still wasn't looking at him.

"Liv, look at me." She didn't but he could see her eyes start to soften. He continued to stroke her cheek, hoping she would just give him anything.

"Please, Livvie. Just look at me." She hesitated for a beat but she turned her head and locked eyes with him. His stormy grey eyes were filled with regret and she knew he was sorry but she was still upset.

"I forgive you. Just- I'll call you tomorrow." She said as she moved from his touch, which hurt his heart, to grab her keys out of the kitchen. When she got back to the front, the door was open and Fitz was standing on the front stairs of the house looking out into the darkness. She walked up next to him and interlaced their fingers. Fitz held his breath in that moment. He didn't want her to go.

For a moment they just stood there. Then she walked to her car and made her way down the long driveway.

When Liv walked into her house she immediately took notice of the voices coming from her kitchen.

"Hello?" She said as she made her way through the house.

"Liv? What are you doing home?" Frankie said. She and Harrison were sitting on the island in her kitchen eating a chocolate cake they'd apparently made and drinking wine.

"Ugh, it was just a weird night. So I'm here and I need cake." Liv said as she grabbed a fork from the drawer and moved around the island to where the cake was placed. Frankie and Harrison just looked at her for a moment, letting her take a few bites before asking questions.

"So, you gonna tell us what happened?" Harrison asked as he got another fork full of cake.

"Do I have to? It really wasn't anything. We both just got upset. It was his fault and he apologized. No harm done." Liv said, not looking at either one of them.

"Then what's the problem?" Frankie asked as she stroked Liv's hair. She sighed and relaxed at the feeling of her sister stroking her hair.

"He was just so upset and I wanted to help him. I tried to help him but he wouldn't open up. We've talked about things, deep and horrible things but this time he shut me out almost like he felt guilty for feeling whatever it is that he's feeling." Just as she dug her fork into the cake there was a knock at her door.

"I've got it." Harrison said as he hopped off of the island and headed to the front door.

"Who could that be?" Frankie asked as she slid down off of the island after him.

Liv shrugged her shoulders and they both walked out of the kitchen. When they walked around the corner to the living room they were both surprised to find Harrison talking to Fitz. Liv's heart skipped a beat at seeing him. Fitz turned his head in realization that they were no longer alone and he nodded his head in the direction of the ladies. Harrison took notice, turned his head, and offered a genuine smile to Olivia.

"Liv. You have a visitor." Harrison said as he walked over to her and Frankie. When Fitz's eyes met Olivia's big brown orbs he couldn't help but fall for her all over again. She was beautiful and he just wanted to be with her. They stood staring at each, no words exchanged. There were so many things that they both wanted to say but they couldn't. The air was thick with emotion and Harrison could sense that he and Frankie were just getting in the way.

"Hey Frankie, why don't you and I go watch a movie in my room. I'll even let you pick." Frankie rolled her eyes at him, she knew what he was doing. She looked to Liv who was broken out of Fitz's pull by Harrisons words. She smiled slightly and nodded that she'd be fine.

"Yeah. Sounds good. You know it's gonna be a chick flick, right?" Harrison grabbed her hand and shuffled her out of the living room.

"Good night guys!" Liv yelled as they disappeared down the hall. Fitz just stood there, not knowing where to begin. He opened his mouth to speak but Olivia just shook her head as she offered out her hand.

''C'mon, lets go to bed. We'll talk about it in the morning." She said softly causing Fitz to let out a weighted sigh. He walked over to her and took her hand in his as she led them up the stairs to her bedroom. Within seconds they were down to their underwear and under her comforter cuddling into each other as they drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Alright, so how was it? It's kinda tedious, I know, but like i said I was struggling. I'm finally out of the woods with this and now I can move on to the rest of their week and a fun dinner with Harrison and Frankie. Again, review if you like! Xoxo