AN: Okay guys, I know it's been awhile since the last update. I've been a bit stumped with my writing. It's like I know where I see the story going, it's just a bit hard for me to actually get there (sometimes) lol. There's a bump in the road and I'm trying to push myself over it, so bear with me here people! lol. Enjoy and again, thank you all so much for your reviews and suggestions! So happy you all loved Olivia finally coming home and their first time being together again. And how crazy was episode 302? It was so many things I predicted watching the show but last night's episode brought everything together for me! I am a Scandal conspiracy theorist, I promise! Lol. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that wants a look at Fitz's presidential balls (;

Flashback, A Few Weeks Before The Accident

Fitz pulled into his personal parking space, putting the joystick in park and reaching over to his passenger's seat for his briefcase. He made sure all the windows and the sunroof were locked securely before he removed the key from the ignition. He stepped out the car, pressing the car lock button on his keys. He let the breeze of the summer air blow past him as he walked towards the building, pausing briefly as the sensors for automatic doors went off and they opened before him. He stepped inside the building, grateful that the air conditioner temperature was set just right, not too hot and not too cold, and headed straight for the desk ahead.

"Good morning Gloria. How are you today?"

The older woman, who was somewhere in her mid sixties, looked over the brim of her glasses, pushing them closer up her nose as she titled her head upward. Her plum matte lips slightly parted as she greeted him with a smile. "Mr. Grant! A good morning to you too! I'm doing quite well sir, thank you for asking. And how are you? And your girlfriend, Ms. Pope is it? Please correct me if I'm wrong".

He smiled back at her. Gloria had been his receptionist for the past three years, once working as his mother's personal assistant decades before. He had always enjoyed the woman's presence; she was very friendly and a hard worker and she fawned over the Grant children, always bringing them treats and trinkets whenever she was around them. Marsha was a sweet woman, but she was very serious when it came to her career. There were plenty of times where Gloria had to feel Marsha's wrath, but she always held her head high. For that, Fitz admired her and he was grateful that she had come to work for him. She was a beautiful asset to the company that proved that with age her great work ethics had never diminished.

"Now Gloria, I know you're my employee but I've told you over a million times that you do not have to address me by my last name. Mr. Grant is my father. I've practically grown up with you and you are like family to me. You know you can just call me Fitz, right? And of course I would ask how you are, your well-being is very important to me, not only in a business sense but personal as well. To answer your question, I am fine. It's good to be back. And Olivia, she's well too. As a matter of fact, she made these for you", he dropped a small brown paper bag on the desk in front of Gloria. "Mint chocolate chips cookies. She's obsessed with this website called Pinterest and when she's not trying to make pen holders out of mason jars, she cooks and bakes. She made these especially for you Gloria, I've told her that mint was your favorite".

"Oh Mr. Gra- Fitz! These smell delicious!", she opens the bag, inhaling the scent of mint and chocolate fused together. "Please, tell her thank you so much! I hope she comes by and visits again soon! She's such a sweetheart! And such a beauty! I hope there are wedding bells in the future soon!", she winked at him, rolling her chair over to the left to answer an incoming phone call.

Wedding bells. They were definitely in his future, but he wasn't sure when. He knew how much he loved Olivia and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her but fear still lingered in the back of his mind. What if everything changed whenever he decided to propose to her, like it did with Marci? Sure, losing Marci hurt, but he got over it, all thanks to Olivia. She wasn't his first love, but now he couldn't even begin to imagine his life without her. Was he ready to marry her? Was she even ready to marry him?

He unlocked the door to his office, closing it behind him as he placed his briefcase on the desk. He opened up his laptop, hearing the fans running to start up the machine, as he walked over to his mini fridge for a soda. Once the welcome screen showed up, he sat at his desk, starting his usual routine of checking his e-mails. He was interrupted by the sound of the intercom on his office phone crackling, signaling that Gloria was paging him. He pressed the speaker button, taking the phone off of the hook.

"Yes Gloria?"

"Sorry to interrupt you sir. You have a visitor. Mr. Wright is here to see you sir".

"Thank you Gloria, please send him back".

After a few seconds, he heard a light knock on his door, calling out for his guest to come in.

"Morning Fitz, sorry to come by unexpected but we have a little problem here that we need to get cleared up pretty quickly, or there might be some consequences".

"It's no problem Harrison. Now, what is it you've said about a problem?"

"You remember that nice little vacant lot you bought a few months ago? The one that was a part of that new build-a-home housing concept?"

The vacant lot. The house. The plans he had for him and Marci. How could he forget? Sure, he had someone who made him forget about Marci, but he couldn't believe he had forgotten about his investment.

"Yes, I remember. Go on..."

"Well, the complex manager is complaining that you haven't started the building process yet. He wants the homes in complex to be fully complete around the same time, so it doesn't look all homey and inviting one side and then there's debris and wood chips on another side. Plus, for those who are moving in with children, it's not safe for that equipment out there and for strange men to be having constant access to the neighborhood. Not saying that we're not careful of the proper usage and storage of our equipment and we surely wouldn't dare harm the children in anyway, but not everyone works like us. They want to know if you were ever going to start construction or if you would like to resell the plot back to them. They need a decision by the end of the week or they're planning to get the courts involved, basically stating that you made a commitment that you fell through on which will damage the overall appearance of their project".

"Fuck", he thought to himself. What was he going to do? He really had no use for the land, seeing that he and Marci were no longer together, but he had a vision. He wanted that land, he wanted to build a happy home there, see his children grow up and leave it behind for his grandchildren and future generations to come. He knew nothing in life was ever promised, but he wanted something, besides his business, that he could call his own.

"Well, lucky for him he won't even have to wait until the end of the week. Let him know that I will be starting construction. Tell him to give me a week or two to get everything together".

"Great! I'll let the team know. And what's this about some girlfriend you have? And she bakes cookies? Where are my cookies? I think I deserve some cookies, don't you?"

The two men laughed, chatting and catching up on work and personal life. While engaged in conversation, Fitz couldn't help but to think about the decision he had made. He wanted that house, and that's what he was going to get. His plan was to have it with Olivia. They had only been dating a few months, but he really wanted to start this new chapter with her. He was preparing himself for his future, for their future. They had always had conversations about their dream homes, mostly while Olivia was trying to find herself a new place while she settled with him temporarily. She expressed many times how she wanted to her dream house to look, pointing out many details, down the colors of the paint on the walls. He was going to build this house for he and Olivia and he had never felt better about any decision he ever made.

A Few Hours After The Previous Chapter

"Livvie, what's wrong", his voice sounding tired and groggy.

"I thought you were asleep".

"I was, but you're thinking too loud. You woke me up", he said, rubbing his palms in his eyes and trying to readjust the pillow under his head.

"I'm horrible. I'm a horrible girlfriend", she turned to her side, resting her head on her hands on top of her pillow; the street lights peaking in through the blinds, spreading little rays of light across her face. He wasn't really sure what she was talking about, but the look on her face made it very apparent that whatever she was thinking about was troubling her. He scooted closer to her, their noses lightly brushing against one another as he placed his hand around her waist, drawing her nearer.

"And how are you such a horrible girlfriend?", he kissed her forehead, slowly inching his fingers up the hem of her t-shirt, rubbing small circles on her soft skin as he waited for her reply.

"I missed Halloween. I missed Thanksgiving. I missed Christmas and New Years. I missed your birthday. I missed our first holiday season together. I'm horrible."

"Liv..."

"I know, I know. It wasn't my fault. But still. We never got to wear matching costumes or carve our first turkey. I didn't get to sit in Santa's lap and tell him what I wanted for Christmas, kiss you at midnight as the ball dropped in Times Square, or watch you struggle to blow a million birthday candles. We didn't get to do any of that. I'm sorry baby, I really am".

He grabs her by her hip, so they're cuddled up, facing each other while he rubs up and down her back. "Livvie, I was never worried about that. I stayed right next to you in that hospital room for all those holidays. I didn't care about Christmas trees, or carving a dry old turkey, or stale halloween candy, or even my birthday. Sure, the people around me were concerned and made me attempt to celebrate, but all I cared about was one thing and that was you. You and your health. You coming back to me. I would have starved if I couldn't spend another Thanksgiving with you, or became the Grinch himself if I would never see your face light up on Christmas morning. I wouldn't even want to live to see the new year if there was a possibility that you wouldn't be in it".

"Oh Fitz!", she grasped the side of his face in her two hands, softly pecking him on the lips. "I love you baby!"

"I love you too. Plus, you let me unwrap your gift last night", he grinned at her, initiating a kiss of his own.

"Yeah, and you blew my back out like a candle.", she winked at him, reaching for the curl that always hung out of place on his forehead, twisting around her fingers.

"Baby, you coming home to me was better than any holiday", he kissed the top of her head, inhaling her scent as they drifted back to sleep together.