"Fitzgerald!" Big Jerry said in his signature boom of a voice causing Fitz to pull the phone away from his ear.

"Jerry. To what do I owe this call?" Fitz was in no mood to talk to his Father or Cy about anything, especially after the way they'd talked about Olivia.

"I was calling to talk to you about this book, son. It's damn good. Damn fine work Fitz." Fitz could only roll his eyes at his Father's comments. He knew he didn't read it and he knew he'd never read it. He could care less about the book, all he cared about was the name. The Grant name and if Cy said it was good enough to publish, that was good enough for him.

"So what? The usual book tour, major cities and a few book signings and an interview at the estate or in the penthouse?" Fitz said dryly.

"You know the drill son!" Jerry said with a chuckle. "So we're aiming for the tour to start in three weeks."

"Three weeks!" Fitz nearly shouted. "No. That's not gonna happen." Fitz said harshly.

"Damn it Fitzgerald I don't have time for you to throw a temper tantrum!" Jerry boomed.

"I don't give a damn! I have a life here and I'm not-"

"You will not run away from your responsibilities here! I get that you are smitten with that young girl but I will be damned if you think that I'm going to let you stay in Europe and do whatever the hell you want. This is a family business, you are the last Grant and you will be heading this company when I announce my retirement at the end of the summer." Jerry said with a finality to his tone. Fitz was almost going to give in, almost.

"Fine. You want a book tour, you'll get one. But in two months. I have things that need to be taken care of first. And we will not discuss anything with regards to me taking over the company until after the tour is over. Those are my conditions." He could hear Jerry growl not wanting to give in but knowing he couldn't force him to leave.

"Fine. Two months and you bring your ass back to the states. I'll send you a tentative schedule by next week." Jerry said before hanging up.

"So when is the wedding?" Frankie asked as she walked into Olivia's loft space.

"We haven't set a date but when we do I promise you'll be the first to know." Liv smiled as she prepped the large canvas that was in front of her. They had been engaged for five glorious weeks and had been more caught up in the thought of being married than actually planning or setting a concrete date.

"What's taking you two so long? I figured you'd be married by now." Frankie chuckled as she sat on the bed. Liv turned and stuck her tongue out at her little sister.

"Whatever. We're not in a hurry. We know we're spending the rest of our lives together so whenever we decided, we'll do it. Plus he has to go on a book tour soon and I don't want us to plan anything, no matter how small it may be, and have it fall to pieces due to a schedule change."

"I thought Fitz didn't want to do a book tour?" Liv looked at her sister and rolled her eyes, how was it that she could pay more attention to what was going on in her life than anything else.

"He didn't. But his dad is adamant that he at least do a few major cities in the states. New York, L.A., Chicago, Atlanta… He doesn't really want to go but I told him it would be wonderful for his book. He knows that but he just hates his Father so much and the whole situation with Cy… it's a lot. And he wants his book to do well. He knows I'll support him whatever he decides but I told him he should really think about it. This is his career." Liv said adamantly as she started flinging black paint all over the canvas.

"Black paint?" Frankie said questioningly. She saw her sister's body stiffen at the question and she immediately knew.

"Frankie, don't-"

"When?" Frankie asked as she moved from her spot on the bed over to her sister.

"Can we not talk about this, please?" Olivia said as she scraped frantically at the paint with end of the paint brush as if she were trying to remove what she'd done.

"No. When did they start again, Liv?" Frankie asked as she placed a hand over Liv's stopping her movements. Olivia could barely contain the tears that were threatening to fall, her eyes beginning to water.

"A week ago. I nearly scared him to death. He held me all night but I couldn't close my eyes again. The dream was so vivid and completely different than they used to be. It was perfect in the beginning, we were so happy but then there was a dark cloud covering the sky and wind and lightening and then a huge fire… we were separated and then all I could see was him being engulfed in flames. I was so scared and started screaming and then I woke up and… he had tears in his eyes. He said I was screaming for him and I was burning up, sweating and tears streaming down my face." Liv chuckled bitterly. Fitz had never experienced one of her nightmares and she had hoped that they were gone and he'd never have to.

"Do you think this has anything to do with getting married? Or even him going to the states? Or even him being with his Father and Cy? "Frankie asked as she rubbed her sisters back lovingly. She was struggling for air and her heart was racing and she'd only talked about the dream. Frankie was so worried about Liv, because she knew that if these dreams got bad enough she'd start to think they were going to manifest in reality and that she'd need to pull away to prevent herself from getting hurt.

"I don't know. I just want it to stop. But I had one this week and luckily Fitz was out with Harrison so he missed it, but when he came home I nearly jumped him." Frankie chuckled and Liv couldn't help but crack a smile. It was funny now but in the moment she needed to know that he was there, that he was real and that they were okay.

"I think you should tell Fitz the details of your dream and express any concerns you may have with him, he's your fiancé and he loves you. He'll do anything for you and you know it kills him to see you hurting. Talk to him." Frankie said as she stroked her sister's curls. Olivia nodded her head in agreement and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

"Okay. I'll tell him. But I need to paint or I won't be able to get this image of fire and darkness out of my head." Frankie nodded in understanding and kissed Liv on the cheek.

"I'll check in on you in a few. Does Fitz know you're here?" Liv nodded her head yes and Frankie smiled to her before walking out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Has she been in there all day?" Fitz asked as he walked up the spiral staircase with Frankie behind him.

"She came down two hours ago to grab food and a glass of wine but she went back up almost immediately." Fitz sighed and shook his head. He knew something was wrong but she kept insisting that she was okay. Frankie had called him asking if he knew where Liv was and he said no. He had gone out that morning for a run and when he got back she was gone. He assumed she'd gone out to the market but two hours later she was still gone. Just as he was going to call Frankie his phone rang and it was Frankie on the line asking if he knew Liv was there. He figured he'd give her a few more hours before he went to check on her but when he got there he was extremely concerned, she'd never been this closed off while painting. There was no music as there usually was when she was painting and her door was locked.

"Livvie? Baby, it's me." Fitz called out after knocking on the door. After a few moments he could hear her shuffling feet and the sound of the door being unlocked. He grabbed the handle and pulled the door open revealing her tiny body covered in paint, almost as if she'd been rolling around in it.

"Hi." She said softly, a small smile on her lips.

"Hi. Do I even want to know?" He asked with a small chuckle and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I was just trying out something new." He could tell something was off with her. He glanced back at Frankie who shrugged her shoulders as well before turning quickly on her heels and quickly making her way back downstairs.

"Mind if I come in and keep you company." She stepped to the side and allowed him entrance. Once he was inside she closed the door and locked it before turning around to meet his gaze. They were quiet for a moment, just taking each other in, before either one decided to speak.

"I'm sorry." Fitz said quickly and Olivia couldn't help the look of confusion on her face.

"Why?" She said. What had he done that she should be forgiving him for?

"For whatever I did to make you so upset that you'd just leave without saying anything. I don't know what I did but I'm sorry." He sat on the bed, looking at her with a sort of pleading in his eyes that made her heart break.

"Baby, you didn't do anything wrong. I just…" She trailed off, sighing as she ran her paint covered hands through her hair. Fitz smiled at her, the streaks of paint standing out beautifully against her skin. Olivia looked at him questioningly and he chuckled as he pointed to her hair. She turned to the mirror and groaned.

"Damn it." She said in a huff as she made her way to the bathroom. She turned on the shower and walked back out, taking off her bra as she searched for a towel. When she was unsuccessful she quickly turned to Fitz.

"Can you grab me a towel from the laundry?" He nodded his head and made his way to the laundry room. When he returned Liv was already in the shower, a good amount of the paint that was on her body gone. She heard him come in and smiled as he placed the towel on the rack.

"There's the love of my life." He said sweetly causing her to blush.

"Wanna help me get the rest of it off?" Fitz quickly undressed and stepped under the hot stream of water with her, his hands immediately going to her hips. Olivia needed little coaxing to close the space between them, her body molding into him as she wrapped her arms around his strong waist.

"I Love you." He whispered into her hair over and over again, chanting it, making her heart hear him. He didn't know what was wrong but he wasn't going to let her pull away from him. From them. Olivia let his words wash over her, his need for her to know that he loved her. Truly loved her. That was her undoing. A sob wracked her body and tears spilled from her eyes and he held her, he held her body impossibly close and let her cry. She had been hiding from him and it was taking a toll on her. Her small body shook as she continued to sob. Fitz rubbed soothing circles into her back and massaged her scalp and they stood there until the water turned cold. He helped her out of the shower and dried them both off before wrapping her in the plush towel and guiding her out of the bathroom and over to the bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly and she shook her head "no". He sighed and nodded his head in confirmation and moved to get up from where he was squatting in front of her.

"Wait…" She trailed off waiting for him to turn back to face her. "I know you want to know what's going on with me and I want to tell you. I really do but I can't. Not right now at least. I just need you to hold me. Please?" Fitz said nothing as he climbed in bed and pulled her under the covers with him. Her body molded to his instantly, clinging to his firm body as if her life depended on it. Fitz held her tightly as she held on to him, both silently praying that neither would slip away.

"How are they doing?" Harrison asked as Frankie walked into their bedroom. She smiled as she took in his sweaty form. He'd just come back from a long run and his muscles were glistening and pronounced, he looked so damn good.

"They're fine, I guess. Liv is with him now so if all goes well she'll tell him about the dreams and he'll be able to help her see that he isn't going anywhere. Or she'll shut him out and all hell will break loose." She said, sighing as she took a seat on the plush couch in their room.

"I hope she lets him in because it killed Marcello for years, the nightmares and the silence."

"Marcello can rot in hell." Frankie said with a snarl and Harrison chuckled.

"Yes he definitely can. But he was so worried about Liv and she never let him in and no matter how hard he tried…"

"Are you defending him?" Frankie asked incredulously. Harrison rolled his eyes and peeled off his sweaty shirt, revealing his chiseled chest. Frankie tried to hide the smile that formed on her face but Harrison saw it and puffed his chest out slightly causing her to laugh.

"I'm not defending him, I'm just saying I don't know what I'd do if I was in a similar situation. You voice how you feel for the most part and you never hide your emotions, not with me. It took forever for Liv to let me in but… I wouldn't know what to do if you shut me out like Liv shut Marcello out." Frankie felt her heart constrict at the thought. She could never hide from Harrison. They'd been friends for so long before they decided to take the next step and she couldn't imagine, not talking to him. Shutting him out.

"You'll never have to worry about that with me." She said softly and he smiled. He knew that, that they wouldn't have that issue. He knew Frankie like the back of his hand and now that they were dating they'd become even closer. He'd thought he might have lost her, all those weeks ago when he asked her to marry him. But they talked and worked it out. They weren't afraid of speaking on their insecurities anymore.

"You wanna shower with me?" He asked as he pulled down his basketball shorts reveling his lower half to her. Frankie bit her lip at the sight of his semi firm length, she did love taking showers with him.

"Do I get to have that?" She said seductively as she moved to stand in front of him.

"Do you get to have what?" His voice was gruff and she couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine.

"This." She said as she took him into her hand and stroked him firmly. Harrison swallowed thickly, allowing the sensations of her hand wash over him.

"You can have that whenever you want…" He trailed off as his hands found the hem of her shirt, tugging it over her head. His lips crashed onto hers as they moved into the bathroom. The rest of her clothes leaving a trail behind them as they made their way into the shower.

"You die in my dream." She whispered into his chest. They'd been lying there for what seemed like forever and she was so quiet that he'd thought she fell asleep. He's startled when she speaks and he's not expecting that to come out of her mouth.

"Livvie…"

"I know. It's a dream and it's nothing I should worry about but…"

"But you're worried." He says softly and she nods her head in agreement.

"And scared. I'm so scared of losing you, of losing us." She says and her voice cracks and he holds her a little tighter. "I don't know if it's fear of you going back to the states with your Father and Cy or if it's the wedding but I'm so scared that something will happen that all I can think about is how I can keep you here with me. How I can convince you that you don't need to go on that book tour but then I think of how stupid that is. This is your career and I would never want you to put that on the back burner just as you'd never ask that of me. I just…"

"You just don't know what's going to happen." She nods her head again and sighs in frustration.

"I know, it's stupid." She says with a small chuckle and Fitz can't believe she thinks that. Because he's scared too. He doesn't want to go on the book tour because what if something did happen? What if he wasn't strong enough and couldn't tell his father no? What if she couldn't handle the distance and let him go, or found someone else. It could be a six month thing considering he knows how Jerry operates. Half of the year he could be in the states for promotions and the tour and book signings and that was something he couldn't fathom. Being away from the love of his life for six months.

"Olivia it's not stupid." She cringes when she hears her full name, they'd been together for almost a year now and he'd only called her Olivia once or twice. "I am so scared of leaving you. I'm scared that you'd realize that I'm not the one, or that you don't want to be with me. Especially with all the drama surrounding me with Cy and BJ. And what if I'm not strong enough to say no to him? What if I am just as weak as he says? I get that you're scared but I'm scared too. You can't shut me out Liv. You can't hide from me because I see you. I know you and I know when you're pulling away. I was so worried when you didn't come home today." He said, tears threatening to spill.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry baby I didn't- I wasn't trying to shut you out. I was just trying to sort it all out, trying not to make you worry." She looked into his eyes and her heart broke, he was so worried. Worried about them. "I love you so much. I'm sorry." She said softly, her voice almost in a panic as if she were afraid that he wouldn't think it was enough. She didn't mean to not tell him but she didn't know how, she didn't want to relive the dreams. She searched his face, the worry imbedded deep and then there was love. A glimmer in the darkness for her. Something that left Marcello's eyes when she shut him out, replaced by a sort of sorrow, then something she couldn't put her finger on until he told her he was cheating. Pity. But with Fitz, she could never shut him out. He cared so deeply and he loved her more than anything, she knew that much. That was something she questioned with Marcello, his love for her.

"I love you so much, Livvie. You have to know that. You need to understand that I am not going anywhere unless you tell me we're over, that you don't love me anymore. I will probably die on the spot…" She chuckled as a tear fell from her eye. "But I am madly and hopelessly in love with you. Nothing you can say or do will make me want to leave and I only hope than you love me just as much to forgive me, to love me through my faults."

She woke up in his arms. She had no idea when she fell asleep but she relished in the feel of his arms around her. She attempted to snuggle deeper into his embrace and she smiled when he pulled her even closer.

"You know what?" He whispered huskily, his voice laced with slumber.

"What?" She said softly as she moved her head from its resting place on his shoulder to his chest where she placed feather light kisses over his heart.

"I don't think I will ever get tired of waking up with you in my arms." He said and Liv smiled, her mind finally at ease. Well at least for the moment.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of waking up in your arms. And I'm really going to miss you when you leave. I don't think I'll get a wink of sleep." She said somewhat sadly.

"I've been thinking about that…" He said hesitantly. Olivia picked up her head and eyed him carefully. "I would love it very much if you would come with me on my book tour." Fitz said confidently and Olivia took a deep breath.

"You would wan't me with you?" She asked.

"Hell yes! Why wouldn't I? You're my inspiration and you're my home. You are going to be my wife and I would like nothing more than for you to come with me on my book tour." He said with a cheesy grin. Olivia smiled and shifted so her face was mere centimeters form his.

"I don't know, babe. What about Jerry and Cy?" She said knowing that they weren't her biggest fans.

"Fuck Jerry and Cy. They know nothing about you and me and they never will. I'm only doing this book tour so they can leave me alone and so I can promote my book. I don't need them to know you and I don't want them to. They don't deserve to have you in their lives." Liv giggled and kissed him gently on the lips.

"As much as I would love to go with you, I have work to do here. And I haven't been to the states in almost ten years, it might be a little bit of a culture shock." She said with a smile.

"I think you should bring your work to the states." He said as he slid his hands down her body resting them comfortably on her ass. "I think that your work should be world famous vs. you just being known throughout Europe." He said confidently and Olivia rolled her eyes.

"My work isn't that amazing Fitz. It's good for small galleries and intimate settings."

"Then I'll buy you a gallery in New York and hell even one in L.A." Olivia quickly lifted herself off of him, sitting up so she could get a better look at him because he couldn't be serious. It took a lot of work to maintain galleries and she'd always wanted her own in the states but she wanted to be able to do it herself. She wanted to have enough connections and enough money to do it herself.

"Fitz, you cannot be serious. I could never ask you to do that." She said staring into his bright blue eyes.

"You're not asking. I'm offering. I have the means and I want you with me. And if it means I have to buy you two galleries on opposite ends of the country so that you will come to the states with me for a while then I'll do it." He said, his voice cocky.

"No. You are not going to bribe me. I'm not going to the states. I have work that needs to be done here!" She said somewhat defensively. "My foundation…"

"Is doing wonderfully. Frankie knows how to handle any and everything and you will only be gone for a short while. We can do a bulk of the work here but we need to go to the states to find the perfect spaces. So we might as well go while I'm on my book tour. And who knows, you could get commissioned by a university to teach a few classes or whatever."

"Fitz…"

"Just think about it. Please? I know this is a lot but why not? Why not see what happens? And I know this is a lot but I would really love it if you were with me. I need your support and love and your energy. It'll be hell without you and I don't know, I might go crazy there all by myself. I would probably last a week before I hopped on a plane to come back home to you." Olivia laughed but she knew he was serious. Because she would probably only last a week before she got over herself and went to the states in a desperate need to just be in his arms.

"Fine. I'll think about it."

HEY! Hi guys! Ok, so Liv and Fitz are good. Well, maybe. At least for now. And Liv might be going to the States with Fitz. Big Jerry and Cy are not going to be very pleased with that but... it'll make for great conflict.

So yeah! Thank you for sticking with this. I know it has been forever but life happens, work happens, Kerry Washington happens. It's a lot to take in and sort out. And Scandal is back in TWO DAYS! So exited. But yes. Thank you for the PM's and DM's and reviews and I will try my best to update sooner than I did this last chapter.

Xoxo

SCANDAL is not mine.