Liv and Huck spent the first couple of days jumping on planes, trains and boats making sure that if anyone had managed to catch a glimpse of them there were enough trails to make it impossible to find them. Olivia decided upon London knowing it was busy enough to remain undetected. It would be like slipping a needle into a haystack. As much as she wanted to head to France or Italy, it would be much harder to blend in. That and she had ties to France that both Cyrus and Fitz knew about and it would be the first place they would send feelers out to. Huck kept a close eye on their movement staying a step ahead of the secret service should Fitz decide to look for her.

They had settled into an apartment building in Marble Arch, determined to get lost in the busyness of the city guaranteeing their anonymity. She had a little while to determine her next steps. She mourned for OPA and all the work she had poured into it for the empire she had eventually built only to have to abandon it in a haste. She knew that though she could begin again, remaining untraceable would be impossible.

"What about her Staff?" Fitz asked Jake as they sat in the Oval together. Fitz had waited for Cyrus to bring it up and was surprised when he remained tight lipped. Fitz did however notice how despondent and somewhat distracted Cyrus had become. Maybe he had underestimated just how important Olivia was to him, that her leaving without a trace, without a word broke his heart as it did his own. Would regrets be haunting him as they did Fitz.

"None of them are listed and all their mail and address' point to OPA. They are incredibly smart and methodical. They prepared for such a day Sir. None of them are traceable." With Olivia's line of work a quick exit strategy was necessary, never once did he imagine he would be the reason.

By the end of the week all gladiators were reunited in Olivia's new home. They had taken over the top floor of the building. Huck and Harrison were sharing a two bedroom apartment, while Abby and Quinn shared another. Olivia took the last two bedroom on their floor. Huck had outfitted their floor for maximum security. No one but the five of them had authorisation to enter their floor.

"So I think we need to lay low for a bit so if you guys are wanting to do some travel I would suggest you do it now. I'll probably consult here and there but nothing is set on stone. I would probably do a bit of travel myself." She added absently.

Huck had noticed she had become distracted and somewhat agitated in the last twenty four hours. He knew she was worried about those she left behind. Ella, Gerry, Karen, Cyrus and HIM too despite how angry she was at him. He knew he'd have to find a way for her to let Cyrus and the kids know that she was okay. He knew that Cyrus had released Charlie to try and find her and though he was a few steps ahead Charlie would eventually zone in on then. If it was just him and Liv he could wipe them both from existence but it was a lot harder to hide five people than two.

"Huck?" Liv said softly knocking on his bedroom door. Abby, Harrison and Quinn had gone to do some grocery shopping leaving her on her own. Wordlessly he handed her a burner cell.

"Thanks," she said gratefully.

"Three minutes tops Liv." Olivia nodded and headed back to her place. She paced back and forth for at least half an hour before dialling. Cyrus looked at his phone and without a thought he excused himself to answer it. Fitz watched the door close behind Cyrus,

"Liv..." he said somewhat knowingly and worriedly.

"I can't talk for long. I just wanted to let you know that I was okay and that I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye. Regardless of everything we've been through I feel like I should have said goodbye. That Fitz and I and all our drama aside you were my mentor, one of my best friends and despite whatever has happened between us, our long history warranted that. So I wanted to call you,"

"Don't Liv. Don't say goodbye. I'm so sorry for everything I did that has hurt you. It was never about you Liv or how I felt about you or our friendship. It was always just about him, and his presidency being end game. I'm sorry for never choosing our friendship and history first."

"Water under the bridge Cy. Give James and Ella a kiss for me. Please stop looking for me. I'll try and touch base again later when we've settled."

"Liv..."

"Take care of yourself old man. I love you." Without waiting for a reply Liv hung up tearfully. Cyrus sat down and buried his face in his hands. He had lost the one friend he had. Even after everything he knew that Liv had his back that she loved and was loyal to him to a fault. That she had chosen to love notoriously ambitious, calous men who repeatedly manipulated and hurt her. That despite the tough exterior she felt every blow and it scarred her in ways he nor Fitz could ever begin to even apologise for. That as he felt the depth of of losing her. He was proud of her for taking her life back into her own hands. For choosing herself instead of making choices to benefit others. Giving up her own happiness so that others reached their own dreams. Cyrus stood to his feet and asked Louise to tell the president that he had gone home unwell unable to face Fitz.

Olivia placed the phone on the coffee table and wept. Saying goodbye to Cyrus made it real. As sad as she felt she also felt released, almost free. She knew in her heart she had made the right decision. Had she remained in DC it would just fuel the hurt and betrayal between her and Fitz. That she would just be leaving herself open for his determination to make her pay for her part in Defiance. She decided that removing herself from the equation and depriving herself of him would be the life long punishment she was willing to endure if it meant it would enable her to move on with her life and allow him to move on too. He hated her so much that she had hoped that her disappearance would allow him to get on with his life.

Fitz grew worried when Cyrus didn't return and Louise had told him he had voluntarily gone home from feeling unwell. Without a doubt he knew it had been her on the phone. Cyrus' reaction left very little room for question. His head kept replaying the look on her face when he told her they were done. The shame in her demeanor as he waited for her to slip her underwear in her handbag. He had reduced her not only to some random sexual encounter, he had pushed her far enough to make her feel like a whore and he had to live with that. The thought of never seeing her again forced perspective he had been missing. The biggest revelation of all is that despite what he had been so mad at her for, he loved her. That the knowledge that he may never see her again hurt more than the knowledge that she had played a part in Defiance. As angry as he was at her, knowing where she was at all times enabled a sense of comfort and now that she had taken that away he felt like she had taken a vital organ, his heart.