Chapter 30: Uncertain Certainty

"Cyrus adopted a baby?" Olivia squealed in delight.

It was a little before midnight and she was talking on the phone to Fitz. The news that Cyrus had finally given into James' demands for a fat, squishy baby made Olivia laugh out loud.

"Yeah, can you believe it? Cyrus is going to be a dad. Poor kid," Fitz said, chuckling.

"Well, Cyrus has a strong protective streak and he's fortunate that James is his husband," Olivia replied. "Between the two of them, that child will be fine. Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A little boy. He's from Ethiopia and they've named him Ethan," Fitz explained. "Cyrus pulled some strings over at the State Dept to get the visa and other paperwork fast tracked."

"Well, good for him and James," Olivia said, genuinely happy for Cyrus.

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Fitz? Are you still there or did you fall asleep on me?" Olivia said, smiling.

"I was just thinking…"

"Thinking about what?" Olivia took a sip of her chamomile tea.

"Hmm, I wish it was us," Fitz said quietly.

"Fitz, please..."

"C'mon, Liv, you can't say you never thought about what it would be like for us to have a child?"

"Nope. Never."

"Liar."

"I'm old fashioned, what can I say. I wouldn't want to be a single mom raising a child all by myself. I'd want the husband, the dog, the white picket fence."

"Hmm, well, what about the husband, the dog and the White House?"

"FITZ!" Olivia sputtered, the tea spurting out of her nose.

"Liv, I'm serious."

"Fitz, God, please don't go there."

"Go where?" Fitz asked, playing dumb.

Olivia let out a huge sigh. She was slowly coming out of her emotional shell and returning to her old self after that Pakistani ordeal, and these frequent late-night phone calls with Fitz had lifted her spirits tremendously. But they had done so precisely because he had acted solely as a friend and not as a boyfriend or a lover. He had been on his best behavior and had steered clear of phone sex or bringing up any romantic relationship type stuff that might spook a still skittish Olivia.

"Do you know why I enjoy these late-night conversations with you? Because it's fun catching up like this at the end of a stressful day with a good friend."

"Ouch! So I've been relegated to the "friend category." You really know how to stroke a guy's ego. Can you at least upgrade me to the "friends with benefits" category?" he asked with a laugh. Olivia knew he was probably smirking.

"FITZ!"

"But what if I were free. Like truly free."

"What are you saying?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Fitz, please! We've already been down this road. Can we please not replay this conversation again! You're not free, so let's not talk about what ifs."

"But if I weren't married…?"

"What part of "let's not talk about what ifs" didn't you understand?" Olivia asked annoyed. "I'm going to hang up right now unless you change the subject."

"No, no, don't hang up, Livvie, wait, I'm serious," Fitz said, an urgent tone in his voice. "There's going to come a day when I will be free, totally free and single, and it will no longer be "what if" but "will you…"

"OK, I'm hanging up now!" Olivia said, cutting him off. A knot had formed in her stomach and she was feeling increasingly stressed and anxious by the turn the conversation had taken. She really did not want to hear Fitz's hypothetical marriage proposal and talk about some hypothetical scenario in a distant future where they might be together. Talk is cheap and Olivia reminded herself that there was a reason why she and Fitz would never be together – he was the married POTUS! Nothing was ever going to change that!

"G'nite." The line went dead.

Fitz pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it in disbelief. Son of a bitch, she actually hung up on me, he thought in amazement. He chuckled and opened up his desk drawer and took out a framed picture of Olivia. A lopsided grin spread across his face as he admired the photo. "The day is coming when I will be free, Ms. Olivia Pope," Fitz said smiling at the picture, "and I won't take no for an answer then."

A/N: OK, Gladiators, consider this the end of "Season 1." I'll be back with a "Season 2" where I'll pick up the story where it left off.

I know this ending is abrupt and unsatisfying, but I've been struggling with how to tie up several loose ends (like the Billy Chambers/Farheed Davi storyline) and how to write about Olivia's emotional return to Fitz without it all feeling rushed and jammed together. I also want to explore this whole issue of the POTUS going through a divorce. The story is definitely entering a different stage. For that reason it makes sense to kind of draw a line and say here's where part one of this multi-part story ends, but it will continue and pick up where it left off in a sequel.

A huge "THANK YOU!" to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. The reviews encourage and motivate me to keep writing. It's been so much fun bringing you this story. Add me to your author alert list so that you'll be the first to know when the sequel to "An Ounce of Truth" is finally posted.

Gratitude always,

Neo