A/N:

I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but I really, really appreciate your support for this fic and your honest feedback. I must say I'm touched to see that there's quite a few of you still out there. And here I was thinking that this fic was just getting too boring and I had to keep coming up with new twists, lol.

Voting results:

Option # 3 (keep story going but reveal all missing pieces) won by a landslide. I was once again surprised, I had expected option #1 (keep story going as it is) to at least come close to option #3. And even though some of you voted for both, even without counting double votes, #3 still wins by a large margin.

New plan:

I'm gonna bring us back to the point in time when Olivia gets the letter 3 years into the future and It's gonna happen in three (3) chapters. Once we get there, I don't know how many more chapters I will write, (maybe just a couple, maybe more) we'll see how it goes. A couple of you suggested a sequel.

I wrote all 3 chapters before posting this one so they'll be coming out fast one after the other. I just have to revise the other two before posting them.

Chapter 38

Day of the press conference, 8:30 pm.

Olivia left the restaurant escorted by the same young waiter that had served her meal. The service had been excellent and after giving the waiter a generous tip, she'd asked to speak to the manager and requested that someone walk her over to her car. They walked in silence to the vehicle with the young man following closely behind, across the plaza and past the sign that read: Tijuana, the most visited city in the world.

It was a starless night with no moonlight but there were plenty of streetlamps and many businesses were still open.

"Muchas gracias, " Olivia smiled tipping the young man once again just as she unlocked the car.

"A su orden, senorita. You're welcome, miss," he replied and stood there for a moment or two watching her get into the vehicle, turn on the ignition and drive off.

Once she was back on the road to Ensenada, well past the high traffic areas, she dialed Fitz's number and turned on the speakerphone. She knew the road well as she'd driven this same stretch of road many times before as a teenager.

"Hey, I talked to Quinn. I got directions. Her ranch is just a couple of turns off the main road. I should have no trouble...although If I miss a turn, I'm to call her and she'll come and get me."

"Sounds good...I still don't like you driving at night in Mexico."

"I know, baby, I'm sorry. I don't know how I can make it up to you…"

"You can start by telling me why you've been shutting me out."

" Wh-what?"

"Ever since our argument morning, I feel as though you've been shutting me out."

Yes, it had only been this morning but it felt as though it had been ages ago.

"Fitz...it's not that. I just don't want to talk about what happened at the conference, not right now. Can you understand that?"

"We have to talk about, it, Liv...there's no way around it. I need to know what you're thinking... what am I supposed to think when you ignore my calls? you went to San Diego and talked to Abby…all without talking to me until later in the day when it was too late for you to make it back to L.A in time for the conference. I was worried thinking maybe you've had one of your dizzy spells. I've called you so many times today I've lost count..."

"Wait, I think my phone was on vibrate mode at the house and then…"

"Olivia," he cut in. It wasn't on vibrate the entire time, I actually got through a couple of times. The point is that you left town, didn't talk to me about what you were thinking or feeling ...now admit that you were upset at me about our argument this morning...that's the least you could do…"

"Fitz, I never meant to worry you, " Olivia took a deep breath. She had been so absorbed in her own feelings she'd failed to consider his, she realized with a pang of regret. "Okay, I guess I was upset," she remorsefully admitted. "I'm over that now, Fitz. What's done is done. I assume you spoke at the press conference and they'll be coming to get Aaron," she spoke calmly even though her heart was breaking. She was trying her best not to cry. "I didn't want to be there...I don't want to be there when they come and get him."

Well, you certainly are not going to be there now, are you? he thought. "Livvie, listen. It's gonna be okay. We'll get him back. It will just be for a little while," his voice sounded anguished. "I stated that we were not pursuing an adoption. But we will be when the timing is right, I promise you." He felt much better getting it out in the open, he felt she had the right to be upset about this part. He could have announced that they were planning to adopt. Instead, he'd taken a gamble and only time would tell if it had been the right choice.

Olivia stifled a sob. "This is why I didn't want to talk about it right now." She was afraid that if she allowed herself to cry, really cry she wouldn't be able to stop. "How's Karen? Is she already in bed?"

"Both kids are asleep," he answered. "She's okay, a little disappointed that you weren't there to read to her tonight. She really likes it when you read, because according to her, well...let's see, " he paused clucking his tongue, "oh, yes, according to her you really get into the story and she loves how you expand onto other related topics."

"She's such a bright girl, she has this inquisitive mind, reminds me of myself as a child."

The conversation continued into other safe topics until she came to a check point in the road. A group of men in clad in military gear, stood to the side of the road. "Hold on, I'm at a check point. Just hold," she murmured, placing the phone low on the floor mat on the passenger's side.

On the other side of the line, Fitz heard Olivia speak in Spanish and the opening and closing of the glove compartment. Then, a minute or so later, she came back on the line.

"Liv, what just happened?"

"Sorry Fitz, I just gave them your CD collection."

"Are you kidding?" he said somewhere in between amusement and astonishment.

"It always works like a charm," she said pushing on the gas pedal and driving past the check point. "They get to burn copies and sell them for a buck a piece and we get free passage on our way back. They'll remember me now when we drive up north. Everyone wins."

Fitz couldn't help but chuckle a little. Her delivery was amusing and honestly, a bunch of CD's was such a small price to pay for her safety.

Still, there was one more thing that needed clarification. "Liv, I love you… and I hate feeling disconnected from you. Don't shut me out like that again."

She sighed. He was the best thing that had happened to her, he was everything she ever wanted and more. The way he spoke to her was so loving and attentive, there was no way she was going to screw up this relationship."I'm sorry, Fitz I was selfish." She meant it with all her heart.

"Okay, listen, promise me that from now on, no matter what disagreements we have, we will talk about it and not try to sweep it under the rug."

She took a deep breath, " I grew up with a set of parents who were masters at sweeping their disagreements under the rug. They would have this huge argument, the next day act as though nothing had happened, making small talk...but the tension was still there. But they never really talked about their problems or compromised and nothing ever got resolved until the next explosion. I used to hide in my room and turn up the radio as loud as I could and still I could hear their shouting matches, their name calling ...I vowed to myself that I would never have that kind of relationship."

Later on, her relationship with Edison appeared to be heading in the same direction as her parents and that was one of the reasons she decided to break off their engagement.

"But you can see that avoiding conflict is not a solution either, don't you, Liv?"

"Yes, I can see that…"

"I don't get into shouting matches, Olivia. That's not my style. "

Olivia bit her lip and smiled. He was so good to her, it made her heart swell. "I wish I could give you a hug and...ah, I miss you so much already," she sighed thinking how was she going to sleep tonight without him.

"There's nothing I would love more than snuggle in bed with you and make love to you all night," he said in that sexy voice of his. "But you ran away you naughty girl, what am I going to do with you?" he teased.

She let out a chuckle. She was about to reply when she realized she was close to her destination.

"Fitz...I'm almost at that turn off the main road. I'm gonna have to get off the phone so I can concentrate…"

"Okay, Liv...huh, I'm calling you in the morning, ok? I love you,"

"Okay, I love you too…"

She ended the call feeling much better. In spite everything that was going on in their lives, it gave her such a feeling of peace and security to see how much he cared about her.

Shortly afterwards, she pulled over to the side of the road so she could dial Quinn's number. Quinn agreed to stay on the line and give her directions to her ranch.

She crossed over the hills and down into a wide valley. As she drove through uneven terrain, Olivia wished she was driving a four wheel drive Ford Bronco instead of this fancy BMW.

The place was so well hidden that not even the locals would have known of its existence.

Quinn and her husband Huck were waiting outside when Olivia pulled up to their property. Olivia and Quinn embraced, happy to see each other for the first time in what seemed like ages.

Quinn took Olivia's hand and guided her inside the historical one level house with a low roof, tall arched windows and red terracotta floor tiles. The mission style roof had red Spanish tiles with archways leading into the courtyard, the living center of the home. In the middle of the courtyard, there was a 3 tier fountain surrounded with lush plants and with water cascading from one level to the next.

After giving her a tour of the house, the three of them sat at at a long hardwood rectangular table designed to entertain twelve.

They ate a light snack while engaging in small talk.

Olivia's eyes drifted from the dining room -walls painted a sort of mustard yellow color, archways opening onto the courtyard-to the soothing sound of the cascading water fountain.

"We fell in love with this house mostly because of the water fountain, " Quinn gushed. "Did you know that according to Homeworld Business magazine, water fountains work wonders as a stress-buster for recovering alcoholics?"

"Not that we're alcoholics or anything like that," Huck was quick to add. "But we love the house, the lifestyle, and horseback riding beats the treadmill any day."

Olivia smiled back in appreciation. Maybe she would sleep good tonight to the sound of flowing water, thinking of Fitz.

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The next morning, Olivia woke up in a king sized bed placed against a large window. The room rectangular; long and skinny with an old fashioned feel to it.

Quinn sat by her bedside. "Hey, sleepy head, you've been sleeping over 14 hours…"

Olivia rubbed her eyes and then stared at Quinn wide eyed. "What?"

"Oh, don't worry. You obviously needed the rest. You looked so exhausted last night…I knew you would sleep like a log."

"It's so quiet and peaceful here…" Olivia sighed, the sound of cascading water registering faintly somewhere in the background . "I never sleep this long though...the most I ever sleep is five hours. Most nights just three or four. I do nap sometimes when Aaron takes a nap," she added the last part with a lump in her throat.

Quinn clucked her tongue."Most of us need at least 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, nothing is more restorative to the body and mind. All the stress you've been under...lack of sleep only makes it worse," she reached out and patted Olivia's arm. "Why don't you get dressed and meet me for breakfast? Huck left early this morning. He's always working, his mind never rests. Although he's much better now that we left San Diego." She stood and walked over to the mirrored closet doors perpendicular to the window. "I brought over some of my clothes, just pick what you want to wear," she added standing to the side so that her friend could peek inside.

Olivia raised herself on her elbows. There were mostly jeans and tops of various colors. "Any dresses?" she asked thinking the clothes might not be too small. Quinn had lost at least 15 pounds since the last time she'd seen her. She looked superb.

"You're not that big yet, my dear…you're not even showing yet...You and I are about the same size now," she concluded with a wink.

After breakfast, the two friends sat barefooted on padded mats on the floor around the water fountain, wearing a loose top and yoga pants. Quinn said this is where she sits every morning to meditate and do her yoga exercises.

"I'm worried, Liv, that's a lot you've been dealing with...one thing after another," Quinn stated while doing some light stretching.

Olivia sat crisscross, her eyes fixed on the water fountain. "Like James used to say...Life is not a romance novel."

"You can say that again," Quinn turned to study Olivia. "I can see you've got it all bottled up, Liv, you gotta let it go."

Olivia shook her head and let out a little huff that almost sounded like a laugh. "Let it go? And how am I supposed to do that, may I ask?"

"Nothing like a good cry to release all those neurotoxins in your body," she said, her eyes bright and intense. "You do cry sometimes, don't you, Olivia?"

Olivia sighed. Yes, of course she cried... sometimes. Just the other day...well, there was that time on the island when Fitz came back after being gone for a good day and a half. And there was also that time when they were on the chopper and he took off his life vest so that he could hold Aaron. Good heavens, she'd been overcome with a whirlwind of emotions she'd never experienced before ...tears flowed uncensored. Fitz, her precious Fitz had been willing to sacrifice his own life for her and Aaron. That awful feeling of dread gripping her heart, how on earth was she supposed to go on without him, heaven forbid, if her Fitz was gone?

Olivia shrugged, blinking away the tears and the memories. "Of course I cry, Quinn...not everyday, but still…" she said nonchalantly, as if dismissing a silly notion. It had to be those pregnancy hormones that made her get all teary eyed at the drop of a hat.

"Really?" Quinn gave her a dubious look. "I don't mean cry as in shed a tear or two. I mean really cry your heart out...until you can cry no more," she paused to let the words sink in. She did not speak again until she saw a glint of recognition in Olivia's eyes. "When was the last time you've cried like that?"

Olivia shifted uncomfortably trying to find a comfortable position. The truth was as long as she could remember she'd always held herself in check when it came to that, her parents had taught her both by words and by example that tears were a sign of weakness. Not only that, but also being in control of emotions (with the exception of anger which apparently was an acceptable emotion in their book) had been the predominant family value during her formative years.

"C'mon, humor me...I'm onto something here...when was the last time you really cried?" Quinn persisted when she saw her friend hesitate.

"Well...ah...maybe. When I had the miscarriage when I was fifteen," she replied with a pained look on her face. "Even though I was scared, I wanted that baby, you know," she paused, seeking Quinn's sympathetic nod, telling her that she understood. " I was just a kid who wanted to feel loved. In my own little mind I convinced myself that having a baby was the solution. I would finally have something of my own to love and to love me back...a child I could give all things I never had...and so I cried for two days straight after I lost it..."

"That was fifteen years ago, Liv…" Quinn reached out for her hand. She remembered how hard it had been, Olivia and she had been friends since forever.

"I know, a lot has happened since then..."

"Ha, you can say that again!" Quinn quipped. "Just in the last three months alone, you've lived through more changes than the average person would experience in three years!" She threw her head back as if to punctuate her amazement. "First, your airplane crashed in the middle of the Pacific. Then, you met the man of your dreams and yes, that was good there, agreed. But we're talking about major changes. Most psychologists would agree that all life changes whether positive or negative carry a certain amount of stress as life changes force us to adapt to new circumstances and we're all creatures of habit, aren't we?"

Olivia nodded, slightly amused. Of course Quinn had a point. Ah, yes, she remembered. Yes, psychology had been Quinn's major back in college for a couple of years until she switched to political science.

"Fitz is the best thing that's ever happened to me," she said thinking that she couldn't possibly stress this enough.

"Good...well, anyway, so what else happened? hmm, yeah, you pulled the goalie, " she nearly chuckled at Olivia's blank look. "you know, that's what Vince Vaughn tells Reese about getting pregnant in Four Christmases , remember?"

Olivia smiled back in response.

"And then all of a sudden there you were also mothering a newborn. Except that you didn't have nine months to get ready for the big event...nope, all of a sudden he's there like you know when Betty and Barney Rubble found little Bamm-Bamm on their doorstep, their sweet bundle of joy, hand delivered by the stork? Just like that, instant baby, no anesthesia required...and then, c'mon.. help me out here, Olivia, 'cause there's much more…"

"I was lost on an island, polar bears and wild boars running rampant…"

"And then you got rescued, positive change...right? But then, the chopper you were on nearly crashed. You survived in one piece but you had to be scared shitless. And then, wonders of wonders, you come back to civilization and nearly had a miscarriage and you meet your new step daughter- to- be the next day, is that what we call her right, step daughter- to- be ? Wait, is that all? I'm sure I'm forgetting something here…."

The smile on Olivia's face faded as she thought of Aaron. Yes, and there was also the fear of losing Aaron...and there was the deal with her father and the freighter.

"Well, you get the picture...all these things happening, one thing after the other…that's a lot of changes to deal with...buy you know what? I'm gonna show you how to reach the highest state of relaxation. It's amazing. You'll be like brand new in no time."

A little while later, Quinn showed Olivia how to do a yoga move known as the supine half-lotus position. They both were wearing appropriate workout attire and lay on their back. While moving slowly and listening to their bodies they both placed one foot on the opposite thigh near the top of the leg, allowing the knee of the bent leg to relax toward the floor.

Olivia had to admit that she had not felt this good, this attuned to her body in a long time.

Shortly after lunch, a friend of Quinn's stopped by the house with a young baby in tow. The baby, just a few older than Aaron brought tears to Olivia's eyes.

That afternoon, Olivia retired to her room for a little afternoon nap. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she began crying and unleashed all the tears that she'd been holding back. She was surprised to find that that the more she cried the more control she had over her emotions and that she could actually stop any time she wanted. All the pressure all the tension lifted away. The end result being that she felt renewed and inspired.

In the late afternoon, the two friends went on a long walk to feed the horses, who came to the gate as soon as they heard Quinn's call. After petting them on the nose, Quinn retrieved a bucket full of apples, selected a few and placed them on a wooden bench outside the stall. With a pocket knife, she cut the apples in fours.

The women gave each of the horses a quarter of an apple at a time out of the palm of their hands.

"Karen will love this, I can just see her face brighten like a Christmas tree," Olivia smiled. "Fitz is bringing Karen with him, If all goes well, they should be here tomorrow afternoon…"

"Can't wait to meet them."

"Sayid will also be stopping by tomorrow, probably before Fitz gets here. He won't be staying though. Unless you'd rather I meet him somewhere?"

Quinn gave her a doubtful look. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"He says it's imperative we talk. I need to find out once and for all what's going on. I don't expect him to be any trouble...anyhow, Huck will be here, right?

"Yeah. he's always close by even if he goes into town, he can be back in a flash."

Olivia gave Quinn and inquisitive look. "We haven't talked much about you. "How do you feel being the wife a genius mathematician?"

"In many ways, it's great 'cause he's always around if I need him. I never feel alone when I'm home. Other times he can be infuriating, he gets like in a trance when he thinks he's in the middle of a breakthrough solving a code for something or another…" she shook her head with a small smile. "I have plenty of work to keep me busy," she added giving Olivia a long look. "Say again, when is this guy Sayid... when again did you say he's coming?"

A/N:

And now I'd like to leave you with dispatchers652's thoughts on chapter (37), hoping they will brighten up your day as they did mine. Love them, Keep them coming!

"Liv's luck lately with transportation has been terrible. On a plane. It crashed. In a car. Gets trapped in Mexico. I'm afraid to see what happens if she rides a bike. Lol! I hope she gets to Quinn's ok. Maybe Huck will be with Quinn and they can keep her safe until Fitz arrives."

"...get Liv out of Mexico and back to her man who's probably gonna put a tracking app on her phone after this mess. Lol!"

Be on the lookout for the next chapter, it'll be posted soon, BIG reveals. It's almost ready, just have to revise it some. Don't forget to leave your feedback. A word, a line or two, all is good. If you haven't reviewed before and you like this story, I want to hear from you. If you've been reviewing and voting, I'd also love to hear your thoughts.

What do you think of Olivia owning up to her mistakes and her willingness to learn to communicate better? Did you like their conversation while she drove up to Ensenada?