They boarded the plane, after bringing Scarlett to say goodbye to Quinn and the house. She was silent and held tight to Olivia and Boo the entire time. Fitz watched from the review mirror as she looked out the back window watching the only home she knew shrink away. For all he knew they were taking her straight into danger instead of away from it, but he trusted Michael and Huck, he knew they wouldn't willingly hurt Olivia or anyone she loved. Fitz didn't speak, he didn't look at Olivia or Scarlett. He sat stone face in the drivers seat absolutely terrified for the first time since he realized his mother shot his father.
Olivia sat in the passenger concerned for Scarlett, who was doing an excellent impression of Fitz, both of them stoic, uninterest to any comments from her. She barely got a grunt of acknowledgement when speaking to Fitz and Scarlett answered her, but seemed to be placating her. Boo remained by Scarlett's side throughout the day and stay next to her in the back seat of the car, she was stroking his head absently.
"Why are we going back already?" Scarlett asked. When they told her they were leaving today instead of Monday she simply nodded and went into her bedroom to grab her stuffed lion her mother bought her and walked into the living room and sat down waiting for them. Olivia was equally glad she was speaking,but confused on how to answer. She and fitz hadn't discussed how truthful they were going to be with her. This wasn't something she should have to deal with so young. Olivia, without any help from Fitz who wouldn't even look at her, lied.
"My family decided to come surprise me for a visit, I don't get to see them as often as I would like so we decided to head back early." Scarlett seemed to accept her story. After trying a few more times to engage either one in conversation she gave up and began playing with the radio. After settling on something she rested her hand on top of Fitz's which was resting on the gear shift, but instead of responding like he normally would with a smile and a squeeze he froze at her touch. Olivia was startled by his reaction and pulled her hand back as if she had been burnt. To her it felt like she had.
The entire flight home they were immersed in silence. Fitz didn't even sit next to her, option to sit across from her. Again she felt a physical pain at his indifference to her. He knew flying made her anxious. Scarlett fell asleep on the couch curled up around her lion, Cornelia. Once she was definitely out Olivia decided to try one more time to reach out to Fitz. She stood up and went to sit next to him and dropped her head to his shoulder. Again he froze and Olivia broke. Tears streamed down her face, but she wouldn't allow him to see her like that. Not now.
She jumped up and walked away from him as fast as she could, but Fitz caught a look at her face.
"Livvie… I…"
"Don't." She ran into the bathroom and shut the door. She didn't come out until she heard Boo scratching at the door.
Thankfully the flight was short and as soon as the stairs descended onto the tarmac Olivia caught sight of her brother. She was in his arms in seconds.
"I've got you. I've got this Liv. It'll be okay." He was stroking her hair, shocked by the emotional display from his youngest sister, normally the only emotion she freely displayed was anger. After a few minutes a sleepy faced child and overgrown dog made their way into his line of sight.
"She's beautiful Liv, we will protect her." Olivia just sobbed into his chest. The sadness of a young child becoming an orphan, finding out that her home was violated, and Fitz indifference all became too much and she dissolved into the first pair of safe arms she could find.
Fitz finally made his way out of the plane helping the pilot with all their bags to get them into the Expedition Michael had rented. Fitz and Michael exchanged a look, Michael noticed the guilty look on his face and things became clearer.
"Livvie?" She heard a tiny voice and immediately pulled herself together and wrenched herself from her brother's arms.
"I'm okay sweets. Lets go home okay?"
"Okay." Scarlett said hugging her.
"Olivia Carolyn Pope I am not riding in this car with this abomination of a dog!"
"Its nice to see you too Abby." Of course Abby had come to pick them up with Michael, she shook her head. She saw Fitz struggling to get Boo into the back and he wasn't having it. When they got all the bags in and Scarlett buckled she climbed into the back and patted the seat next to her.
"Come Boo!" She commanded and he happily hopped in tongue lolling out of his head.
Fitz climbed into the passenger seat allowing Abby to sit next to Olivia, who was silent, and Boo. Abby and Scarlett chatted happily about the flight, Boo, and going swimming in the pool in Abby's building, as Fitz and Michael exchanged short monosyllabic greetings. Michael's loyalty to Olivia overcoming any warm fuzzy feelings he had towards Fitz in that moment, for now he wouldn't say anything. He would leave that to Claudia and Abby.
They finally made it back to Olivia's apartment, though it was bare and violated it no longer felt like home. Claudia was out grabbing groceries and Huck and Harrison were at the new house setting up security. Olivia was the first to enter followed closely by Boo and she immediately searched around the room for Zorro, who was napping on the couch.
"My little Smoooooshy!" she cried picking him up and effectively ending his nap. Boo's jealous streak was fairly evident as he began nosing at the bundle of fur in Olivia's arms.
"Hey Boo Radley, this is your big brother Zorro!" Michael and Fitz both shook their heads. Normally Olivia was reserved and rarely soft, but around animals she was a mess.
"Liv where do you want all this crap?" Abby asked distracting her from her babies.
"Oh uhm can you just stick Scar's stuff in the study and the rest can go in our room." Olivia said gesturing vaguely to the hall.
"You have a cat too?" Scarlett asked.
"Yeah Liv stole him from the neighbors because they didn't meet her insane standards."
"Abby filter!" Olivia glared at her as Michael looked on with a grin. Olivia rolled her eyes and addressed Scarlett.
"He did belong to the neighbors, but they weren't very nice to him and he spent most of his time outside because they didn't want him around so I took him."
"So you stole him." Scarlett stated giving her a Grant smirk.
"Uhm yes."
"Awesome!" Scarlett said petting both the cat and the do, causing everyone else to laugh.
"Well I like her already." Abby declared and Michael snorted. Thankfully Fitz missed most of the exchange having gone into the bedroom to put some things away, otherwise he would be freaking out.
When Fitz came back out Michael and Abby exchanged a look.
"Hey Scar I think Boo needs to go out, why don't we take him." Abby offered, trying to get the little girl out of the way of the forth coming conversation.
They leased the dog and headed out leaving Olivia and her boys to discuss their next step.
"Michael I thought you were handling this, how did this happen?" Olivia asked frustrated.
"We don't know, that's whats really making us nervous. I have a handle on Dad, Mom is cooperating and planning vacations with Aunt Kat, happier than ever to have Dad out of her way, the Russians are thrilled with what we are offering them over Dad. We have no clue who did this or why."
"That's not what I wanted to hear. Get Claudia…" before Olivia could finish Claudia entered the apartment with shopping bags in her arms. Fitz jumped up to help her and she planted a kiss on his cheek as a quick greeting. Olivia made her way over after Fitz made some distanced and propelled herself into her sister, much like she had with Michael, however with less tears.
"I met her, its okay Liv, she kind of reminded me of Grams, you're in a shit load of trouble with that one." Olivia smiled and chuckled. The looks Scarlett sometimes gave Olivia did remind her of their grandmother, but she tried to deny it, blaming it on missing her, but Claudia was right. As strange as it was Scarlett had a bit of Carmela Pope in her.
After some quick pleasantries, Claudia noticed their was something strange going on between Olivia and Fitz. The normally extremely tactile and in sync couple were sitting on opposite sides of the table unable or unwilling to look at each other. Normally she would make an inappropriate joke, but Olivia looked like she was ill and Fitz looked like he was about to jump off a roof so she left it alone allowing them to work it out later after they solved this most dangerous crisis first.
"Okay as you were saying Olivia." Claudia prompted. Resulting in an identical eyebrow raise from Olivia and Michael, Claudia never called Olivia Olivia, usually it was anything else, refusing to accept their mother's distaste for nicknames.
"Well I was thinking that for the time being you and Harrison should stay in the guest house as an extra layer of protection, Huck is setting up a security system, and we will need men. I want armed guards for the property. Discreet ones so that Scarlett doesn't notice. I want Huck to check the footage from the middle of October, after we came home from Kansas was the last time we saw it, until today to see if anyone we know came into the apartment. We need to end this and end it soon."
"Why did you need it in October, why didn't you tell me?" Michael asked annoyed.
"It was a false alarm. Fitz pulled the gun on Abby while he was half naked." Olivia smirked at her brother.
"'Nough said." He replied.
"Okay lets go over to the house, we can walk the gounds and figure out security while Huck does his thing." Claudia said as everyone rose.
"No!" Olivia said frantic. "Uhm just bring them here, we have blue prints and everything they need, plus I want Scarlett to get comfortable and she will need dinner soon."
Fitz got up from the table after not having said a word and Olivia rolled her eyes, just plain angry at his behavior now that she had quickly passed the hurt stage.
"Go handle that, Ill handle dinner and Michael can handle ginger and the little one." Claudia told her as they watched Fitz's back disappear into the bedroom.
"I wouldn't even know where to begin. He's scared, I'm scared, but he's shutting me out, he's never done that. Its what I do and frankly it sucks to be on the receiving end. We have been waiting for the other shoe to drop and apparently all the shoes decided to drop at once and he's dealing the best he can. We all are. I just don't know how to get my Fitz back but I am too hurt and scared and tired."
"Just talk to him Liv, that man loves you, like I've never seen before, actually I've seen it once, but I was too young. Grams and Pop were like that. In sync, soul mates. You need each other, just like they did. So go talk to him. Be his soul mate." Claudia knew her Grandparents relationship was once in a life time, Olivia did too, anyone that saw them together knew. It was rare and intimate and everything people want for themselves and rarely can achieve. Comparing Fitz and Olivia to Camela and Frank Pope woke something inside her and she followed Fitz into the room. She was going to pull him back to her.
"I don't want to see the house yet, not like this." Olivia said sadly when she walked into the room and saw him. In her mind it should be new and exciting. She wanted to walk into that house hand and hand with Fitz and make love on every flat and some not so flat surfaces they could find. If they went right now it would be a retreat. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair. She had waited this long, she wouldn't allow it to be ruined.
"Of course not." Fitz snorted at her, his eyes completely cold. She couldn't tell what he was thinking and she really didn't want to. Ever since they'd found out the gun was gone Fitz had been cold towards her. His normally ever-present touch was gone replaced by cold distance. Olivia attributed to nervousness or stress but clearly it was something else. She had enough of it whatever it was.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean!?" Olivia hissed at him. Mindful that their family was outside the door.
"Nothing Olivia." He said sarcastically.
"No really tell me what your problem is. You've been awful since Abby called and told us. Let me guess you don't want me and my insane mafia life around a child and you're too scared to tell me? Guess what I already thought about that. I have no clue what to do, but Fitz I'll keep her safe. I will die to keep her safe!" Olivia yelled at him.
She knew she was being selfish. When she realized how dangerous her life was to bring a child in, her first thought was to run. She went as far as to pick up her phone to call someone to help her get far away from both Fitz and Scarlett. As soon as she did she realized the only person she wanted help from was in the other room playing with his sister and their dog.
As fast as the idea came it left. Instead she called Huck and requested he set up the best security system at their new house and that Harrison be brought to Rhode Island with them for help interviewing security guards for the property.
When Olivia finished yelling at him, his eyes immediately softened and he reached out to her. She pulled back at first still beyond angry.
"No you don't get to touch me right now! Speak!" She needed an explanation.
"I thought you were going to run. Livvie I thought you would leave me, for my own good or for Scarlett's. I couldn't handle that, neither could she. When I was at the lawyer Quinn told me that Kim wasn't a very involved parent. She saw Scar enough to get her dressed in the morning and say goodnight. It kills me that Kim kept her away from me, but if I knew she was loved and happy without me I would be fine, but obviously she was neglected. I'm guessing it's why she's not a broken mess of a child about her mother's death. Because in reality that's all she had, a mother. But Livvie she loves you already. She worships you. Before we left she asked if she could have a white coat so she could dress like you. Earlier she wanted grape juice and popcorn and when I asked if she would unpack the dog's stuff she looked at me and said 'it's handled.' As soon as I heard that we were in real danger again I thought you would run and leave us both. All I could think was I would have this devastated confused kid that I would resent for running you off. I'm ashamed of myself Livvie. I am." As she stood there looking at him she noticed he had tears in his eyes, something she'd never seen before. She realized Fitz wasn't like her. For Olivia pope the worse things got the calmer she became. She had to stop assuming that happened to everyone.
"Fitz look at me." He shook his head refusing to meet her haze afraid of the disappointment or disgust he would find.
"Bee..." She knelt next to him so she could see his face. "This is an impossible situation, and god and everyone else knows that that child would be safer out of my life, but no one would love her as much as we do. Maybe its selfish, but the thought of running away from us, from all that we've finally built kills me." Olivia told him sadly. Knowing that they were both right, Olivia still wanted to run, and Fitz knew their life wasn't safe.
"We will figure it out Livvie, please, there is a room full of people out there to keep us all safe, but you cant run… please please don't leave me." Fitz was heaving, there were no tears, but he was nearly hyperventilating. He had finally broken at everything that had been thrown at them. There was nothing she could say to calm him. She just held his head to her heart, hoping that feeling the rise and fall of her chest would help his own breathing slow back to normal.