Chapter 34

Several weeks after Big Gerry bought the house in Santa Barbara, young Fitz was already on the beach surfing and using the beach house daily. Fitz rarely would spend lengthy amounts of time in the main house.

There was something about the waves that calmed his young mind. His thoughts always of his mother reading to him and being there to talk to him, with her gone he felt the ocean was his safe place. It was quiet, despite the slamming of the waves to the sand, but Fitz found comfort in it.

At an early age he had a feeling in him that his mother lived through the ocean waves. He continued his days off from school staying at the beach house. He would bring several books, always finishing at least one to two a day in between his surfing.

Mimi never announced her presence, but Fitz always knew she had a watchful eye on him. On occasion staff from the main house would come over and try to convince Fitz to spend time there, but he never would.

The only thing that played second fiddle to the ocean and beach house was the thinking garden. That was a different type of communication with his mother. Fitz felt more of a connection there with her. That's where he would actually read out loud, knowing she was listening.

One hot summer afternoon, Fitz woke up on the floor of his bedroom at the beach house. He was 8 years old, and he had been in and out of the house for at least a year. He never slept on the floor, and he didn't know why he did now. He must have tired his small body out from surfing for four straight hours, despite MiMi yelling at him to come inside already.

Fitz was also aware his father would be coming home from the Governor's mansion and spending three weeks at the Santa Barbara house. Young Fitz looked up at the ceiling now and sighed, "I don't want him to come back", he said to no one. He took a deep breath and turned now towards the wall. Fitz's head tilted in curiosity from what he saw under his bed, and he moved closer to the wall.

He noticed a little door, about the size of a crawl space, and he tugged at the small handle. The door pulled open and there in front of him was a small set of stairs. This looked like it was once a short cut downstairs. That's all, it was just stairs.

Being as curious as ever, Fitz went down the stairs and there was another door, it pushed up, and Fitz did it. He poked his small head out, and there was his favorite place, the ocean. "This is way cool," again, out loud, to no one. He had a one way from his room to the beach.

Figuring he would trick his MiMi; he went out that door and walked towards the entrance of the beach house. Mimi was stirring some yummy smelling pot of something, and he casually walked in.

"Hey Mimi!" he waved and shook some curls of hair from his forehead.

"Fitzgerald, I thought you came in from the beach an hour ago. You know I don't like you being out there unsupervised", then MiMi stopped. "Wait, you DID come in an hour ago, did you sneak back out?" She looked over her shoulder at the patio door.

Fitz looked down, scrunched his lips and was about to tell MiMi the truth, but there was something about having his own little secret. He looked back up with guilty eyes. "I'm sorry MiMi, I did go out the side door, but I thought I left my book in the sand. I didn't. I would never go near the water without you watching."

MiMi walked over and went eye level with her favorite little boy. Her hands held his shoulders, and she looked him in the eye. "I know you would never, just MiMi likes to know where you are always. I worry about you, and you know I always will." Her hands went to his back, and she hugged him tight.

Fitz closed his eyes with a bit of guilt lying to her, but a bit of happiness and excitement having his own little secret. "I'll go wash my hands for dinner MiMi, be right back."

He didn't go right back. He tried the little exit shortcut at least three more times, sneaking up and down from his room to the ocean and he loved every minute of it.

As Fitz got older and he got bigger, he modified the shortcut and made it bigger, it always remained his little secret, a way to get to the place he loved the most as quickly as he wanted. Many a nights Fitz snuck out and sat on the ocean under the stars, just listening to the waves crash in.

He thought about politics, his father, his mother, and his life. Sometimes he took walks in the pitch darkness kicking sand and getting his feet wet. He knew his way around that beach in the darkness like no one else. He used that door whenever he could, and he never told anyone about it.

He never thought as Governor now of California he would find use of the door. In fact, he hasn't used the door since the day before he was elected mayor of Santa Barbara. He had just been so busy with his life.

A father now of a boy he would maybe tell his darkest secret to, a husband to the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, mind you the most stubborn as well, Fitz using his secret door had been the farthest thing from his mind. The farthest thing until Olivia jumped up and bolted out the bedroom door at lightning speed a few moments ago.

Fitz knew Dez was lurking and as much as he promised Olivia, he couldn't lose sight of her. Her anger wasn't going to stop him, and he didn't have any time to call any detail to get her, she was on a mission to the main house.

"The beach house in Santa Barbara, that's right. I don't care how, just get someone on the inside of operations and get the fucking wife. There are two houses, the main house and the beach house, let me know when you're able to get communication from inside and get her, otherwise I will do it myself." Dez had been clear, he wanted Olivia Pope in his possession soon.

Four days later his phone rang. The person was inside the main house. A career criminal, Shag, nicknamed because of his dark straggly hair, had been impersonated as a delivery guy and gained access to the main house.

It's the way he gained access that would have him arrested, but no one knew it, so it didn't bother Shag. He was getting paid a lot of money and he didn't care, he had one mission, make a way onto the property that would gain access to the beach house and the main house.

Shag intercepted the delivery truck before it pulled in. Shag was dressed in a suit, so it looked like he was security. As the truck stopped, so did the thinking of the driver as he was knocked unconscious and thrown to the back.

Shag met the nice lady with red hair that signed the package and turned away. He nodded at the service detail who was watching Shag closely. Erin called for Alec's help to carry the package into the house. With her leg still bad, she couldn't balance it.

Shag watched as it was just the distraction and time he needed to get midpoint and get an opening. Through the thinking garden with the fence, Shag kicked a chunk of fence behind the rose bush that was just planted for Abby.

The fence broke a bit too easily and Shag ran back to the van and was climbing into the driver's seat just as Alec was coming out of the house. Alec took a slow step and walked towards the van. "Shit, shit," Shag said calmly.

"What's up?" Shag nodded over to him.

"What's taking you so long? Be on your way." Alec stopped as he watched Shag go in the van.

"Going, going, geez, protect society like you protect politicians." Shag started the van and drove off.

He made the phone call giving the location of the get in and left the van abandoned in the farthest wooded area. All he had to do was get back to the house, get in, get the little lady, and Shag would be 10 grand richer.

As Shag was walking away from the van, he wasn't expecting the hit on the back of his head, with the delivery box, ironically. The driver had come to and made his way out of the van. He grabbed the closest box and saw Shag, the man who attacked him. The delivery guy saw Shag go down, but was still weak himself, and he went down right after.

They both would not be found until the morning, lying unconscious next to one another with a story only the police would be able to figure out, until then, Dez waited anxiously for his phone to ring.

"My guy got in. He called and said the fence is broken." Dez's guy gave the location. "He's ready to go get the guv's wife." He lied, he had to, he hadn't heard from Shag since he called telling him about the fence. Shag was supposed to call on his way back.

"Well, I'm on my way there now." Dez kicked the driver's seat to speed up. "I'll be waiting, I want her in my car immediately. Tell him where I'll be, and there's a chance I may have to call the mission off, if that's the case, this is the last communication I have with you, understand." He gave the details of the money pick up and hung up.

The only reason to abort the mission is if the detail was too much to bear. There would be no hesitation for Dez to be killed and he wasn't ready to be killed. Dez's car had parked, and he waited patiently. He knew at some point every day Olivia went to the garden to talk to her dead friend, the one Chip did a favor of by killing.

The car was parked so Dez had a view of the beach and the fence where it was cut, and he would wait. After he had hung the phone up, he didn't know it was being traced from within the very house he was watching.

Huck was so sure he would get the exact location of Dez but when that call came through from Liv's phone, he had to go help her, something was wrong.

Grabbing only his phone and leaving the location light loading on the desktop, Huck ran out the door towards the garden. He began yelling out loud, "LIV, LIV" and then he froze in his tracks.

Huck was trained in many things, things sometimes he didn't even know he was trained in. The U.S. Government had worked its magic on him making him one of the most dangerous agents. Huck could kill without remorse, feel no love at all, and take the life out of someone in less than three seconds.

Sometimes Huck fell dark, a darkness he could never explain. When Abby died, he felt that darkness and that's why he had hired Davis. He hired Davis because Huck fell for a while. When Olivia left for California, Huck's darkness was painful, and he was grateful she wasn't there to see it.

The reason Erin got attacked was because of his darkness, and Huck couldn't even tell Olivia where he truly was when Erin went down. He just remembered sweating in a corner with pictures of Abby all around him.

Someone had to pay for her death, and he would be sure of it. When he found Boozer, the one who attacked Erin, it was a light to his darkness.

Boozer's hotel door opened, and he was on the phone. He didn't get a chance to finish dialing when Huck came out of nowhere and took his hand off with one swift motion. The scream Boozer let out was music to Huck's ears.

Huck watched Boozer go down grasping his forearm staring at the nothing that used to be his hand. "You attacked the wrong woman." Huck whispered with deep breaths as he walked over him.

He sat next to Boozer now, Huck's hands behind his back as he watched the man cringe in pain. Huck tilted his head as he looked closely into the man's eyes. "Want the other hand to go also?" Huck noticed a tattoo that said Boozer. "Nice tattoo, I could take the whole arm as a memento." Huck took the knife from behind his back.

"NO! GOD PLEASE NO!" Boozer tried to move, but the pain was unbearable, and he was losing a lot of blood. "I'LL DO ANYTING!"

"Who gave the order to attack the woman?"

"Jax, Jax Putney, I swear it was him, I swear, he said to break the kneecaps on the security specifically, please, please, stop the bleeding." Boozer's eyes cringed and closed tightly.

It was good, because he didn't see Huck swiftly move and straddle his back. "Good boy, Boozer." Huck lifted his head and with one stroke of the knife, Boozer was gone, and Huck's darkness turned to light for a short time.

Now, jogging out of the house and towards the beach, he could feel the numbness of his body. Liv had been attacked while pregnant, Davis had died, Liv was stabbed, and Dez was missing. The darkness had been consuming him and only MiMi and Grant had kept him in some light.

It was becoming overwhelming, though, a rage of frustration, and Huck wanted desperately to get Dez, to help the Governor stop this crime wave, and to finally let Olivia be free of Putney and live in happiness.

So, the gate looked off, and don't ask Huck how he knew that he just did. While running towards the beach, as much as he had to get to Olivia, that gate screamed his name. He paused and turned slowly, squinting at the cut in the fence.

"What the fuck?", he walked in the direction as if the fence was a magnet and he went straight to where it was cut. "Son of a bitch." His body was now half in and half out of the hole looking to see the precise location of where it would lead.

Dez pulled him up and held him eye to eye. Huck quickly put his phone in his front pocket and was about to break Dez's neck, but while Dez had hold of Huck's shirt he said something, and Huck knew he had to go dark again. It was the only way to save Olivia and Grant.

"Let's go!" Dez said. "Abort the mission. Your name is Shag right, damn, you look the part. Come on." Dez pulled Huck towards his car. "Don't worry, you'll still get the 10k." Dez assured him.

A bit out of breath, Huck just looked at Dez wondering if this was for real. "Look, I have a view of the beach, he got to her. I thought you would have the perfect opportunity to get her also, but his detail is probably out in swarms as those two disgusting humans have sex on the beach." Dez stared at the beach, and he didn't shut up.

"That's the very beach my father died on a few months ago. So yeah, I want Olivia Pope to suffer, but I am a patient man, I'll wait. Thank you Shag for attempting to go through with it." Dez kicked his driver's seat to go. "Ever been to San Diego? I have some jobs for your there, I like a loyal guy. I heard things about you and I want you on my team. No more middle man."

And, just like that, Huck was in Dez's underworld, and this was going to be a fabulous thing. Huck grinned and gave Dez a pat on the back. "I love San Diego, especially when it's in the dark."

Dez laughed and agreed. "When our best work is done." The car drove away from the mansion, and the only thing Huck could think about was how he didn't want Liv to worry.

What Dez saw that Huck did not see was the Governor running out onto the beach. At first Fitz was alone and the only way Dez saw him was by the quick shadow the light from the back porch made. It was like Fitz came out of nowhere.

Dez knew that body, he saw it thousands of times on television, in person, and in pictures. He knew he had to abort the mission; Olivia wouldn't be alone in that damn garden.

When Liv's feet hit the sand, she looked up and saw darkness, and it scared her. She felt a chill knowing Jax had died not too far from where she was. Being an emotional wreck and running passed Toby, her protection.

She hit Huck's number on her phone, just as she saw the movement coming from behind her from what she thought was out of the dark water.

Like a football player being tackled, she felt a shoulder hit her knees, and she was scooped up and thrown over his shoulder, head hanging down. Olivia was about to scream out, but she knew his touch, she could smell him, the man she loves although she was mad as hell at him right now.

"Damn it Fitz, put me down." Her fists were pounding his shoulder blade.

Fitz's one hand went up, "I have this Toby," He stopped the young detail. "Get her phone and tell Huck she's fine. Pick my phone up also, it fell next to hers." Fitz was ignoring the hits he was taking from her, in fact he had to smirk, it kind of was a turn on.

Her tiny feet began to kick a bit too, and she must have looked like a child taking a tantrum. Fists pounding and feet kicking, her voice projecting. "Fitz, PUT ME DOWN!", her words came out through grinded teeth.

Toby watched in awe as the Governor swooped his first lady over his shoulder. "Where the hell?" Toby looked all around. "Where did he come from?" Toby picked up the phone.

"Huck, Liv is fine, mistake call." Toby hit send yo a message Huck would never get. Huck had already tossed his phone out of the car, so no traces could be found on him for Dez to follow.

Fitz didn't say a word, just kept Liv over his shoulder as he treaded up the stairs into their master bedroom. He couldn't help but use his hand to pat her beautiful ass and he gently set her down on the bed.

Liv immediately sat up on her elbows taking a long, deep, frustrated breath. "I want to go get Grant." She went to get up again and Fitz went down her, cupped her face to hold her in place, and put an anger kiss on her lips.

As upset as Liv was at the moment, it didn't stop her from moaning. Her core began to ache and it pissed her off even more now. She was so mad at him yet her body still responded to him and damn this man.

Feeling she had lost this round, she gripped the back of his head, fingers swirling his curls around and continued the kiss. She pulled away, she could feel the anger tears in her eyes. "NO!", her head turned, "you don't get to do this Fitz. This isn't supposed to be how it works, we talked about this so many times."

He used his hand and guided her face back to look at his eyes, gently turning her towards him using his hand on her jaw. His face was serious, almost solemn. "I know, I'm sorry. It all came out wrong, I should've told you sooner, but you can't…you shouldn't run like that Liv, you just…" Then he broke down.

Fitz's face fell into the crook of her neck, and he felt tears, tears of fear of losing her, of her getting attacked again. He saw Grant's face, he beautiful smile that's been lighting up the room, and Fitz's heart beat faster.

He felt Liv's arms go around his body, comforting him. "I know you're afraid Fitz, it's ok to be afraid. You're with me, you can show that side. It's me, and I know you're as frustrated as Huck is by not finding Dez." They were now eye to eye.

Fitz's head began to nod in agreement. "I can't lose you, Liv, I just can't."

"How did you get out there so fast?" Liv's focus was on the balcony door that led to the view of the beach.

"I have my ways." Fitz calmed down with a smile now.

"Did you fly?" Liv shrugged trying to figure it out.

"For you I would fly. You know I have superpowers." He blinked slowly. "I don't like fighting with you."

"We weren't fighting. It was a disagreement. We are allowed to have them."

"But you can't run."

"I shouldn't have run, but my first thought was Grant, especially when you said Dez wasn't secured."

He lifted her back off the bed and held her in an embrace. "I know, Livvie, you're scared for him and I'm scared for both of you. Grant is very safe, I can assure you."

She looked up at him and he looked down at her. "What about San Diego?"

Fitz's head tilted and he got a bit tight lipped. "I'm not comfortable with you going, but yes, you'll go. No, we will go together, ok?"

Liv smiled, not because she got her own way because they would be California's first couple out and about. "Can we bring Grant?"

Fitz was a bit taken aback by that request. He was always the one encouraging her to get him out more into the public eye. He thought about Dez and took a deep breath.

"I don't think, Liv, I mean." Then he stopped. He can't tell her not to be afraid to show Grant off and then turn on his own words. He dipped his head in defeat, "yes, we'll arrange it to be a first family of California outing."

"Thank you, and for the other event, I'll be diligent. Can we get a detail for Vivian too. Soon enough they'll know she's my Chief of Staff and…."

"God, I can't say no to you. Yes, I will make sure Vivian is protected." His head went down and he began kissing her neck.

"Fitz, I"…she was going to tell him she wanted to make sure MiMi and Erin had enough breast milk pumped, but after feeling his hand go down to her fold, she was sure she left enough.

Fitz's tongue opened Liv's mouth, as his fingers both swirled her juices around and took her pants off at the same time. He looked at her and her feistiness only made the erection he already had in his pants grow harder.

He stopped touching her for enough time to undress himself as she pulled her shirt over her and felt his warm lips overtake her breast as he pulled her up off the bed.

"Fitz, what are?"….

"Shh." He tightened his arms around her and brought her to the balcony doors. All you were able to see in the darkness were the white caps of the waves hitting shore.

He stood behind her as his hands gently made their way down her breasts and rubbed her beautiful stomach. "This once held Grant, my greatest gift," Fitz whispered in his deep voice as his hands circled her skin.

Liv's hands were up against the balcony door slightly above her head as she felt his erection on her thighs and ass. She pushed back a bit more in anticipation to take him, but all she felt were his hands go to her thighs and work their way up to her fold again.

"You are so wet for me, Livvie." His lips were on her neck and Liv suddenly forgot all the anger she had for him, now she needed him, she needed him take away this pain in her core. As her hands went back to grip the nape of his neck, he pulled away.

Her head went down because she knew he was getting a condom, but the second it took make her body feel empty. His hand returned to her breast, which was now hanging down as he rubbed all around, and it made her tingle with anticipation for what was to come from behind.

Liv felt him, first his fingers, then his guidance of his dick to her entrance. She tried to get as upright as she could and his arm wrapped around her, as his first thrust took him right into her. His hand now gripped the front of thigh and her breathing was rapid.

He felt himself so deep in her and he pumped a bit harder and she moaned. "Am I hurting you?"

"No, no" Liv mustered out the words. Her head arched back. "So fucking good, Governor, this is so fucking…" she couldn't finish as he pumped again, then rigorously, as Liv felt her body grow weak. She tried to hang on but she couldn't.

Suddenly her body could go upright, and she lost any control she had of it as an orgasm hit her hard and fast. "Fitz." As fast as her body went up, Fitz caught her going back down in weakness and moved her to the bed, still in her, still from behind.

Her ass in the air, her breasts on the bed, Fitz continued to pump, until he turned her over and reentered her. Her hands going through his sweaty hair. "Don't. Run. Again. Livvie." He grunted each word, still a bit angry that she ran earlier.

She cupped his face and held it there. "I won't, I promise." She pulled him down until their lips were entangled and she didn't let up, even when his breathing got heavy and he moaned. "Oh, God, Livvie." She felt him fill the condom, and roll off her. He kissed her gently on the breast and walked away.

Moments later he was back. He used a warm cloth to calm her body down as she lay quietly in his arms. "We need to head back…", she began to whisper. "Grant." But then she fell asleep, it was all so exhausting.

Fitz's head rested on hers as he rubbed her shoulder. This wasn't going to be easier moving forward, but he was sure they would get through it. Fitz heard a small knock at the door. His eyebrows went down in confusion, and he realized his phone, along with Liv's was in Toby's possession.

Covering up Liv's gorgeous, resting body, Fitz through on his boxers and walked to the door, opening it slowly and quietly.

"Sorry to disturb you, sir, we have a problem." Toby handed Fitz both their phones and Fitz walked away with him, hearing all about Huck's disappearance. Fitz had to stop and take a seat on the nearest chair. He rubbed his hands over his face. There was never going to be a dull moment, that's for sure.

Liv heard the chirping of the beach birds outside the balcony. Although she hadn't opened her eyes yet, she knew it was daylight, but she felt the warmth of Fitz still next to her. She must have been very tired, sleeping without disturbance, yep, Fitz has a way of tiring her out.

Her head nestled into his chest, but she quickly opened her eyes when she heard the squeal of the person she loved the most. "mmmm, mmmm, ma, ma, da, da," The little talking sounds her favorite person was making. Her head turned to see Grant in the cradle next to the bed, his head full of curls in the back holding it up as he waited for his mother to make eye contact.

Once she did, he smiled, blinked, and smiled some more, his little teeth cutting through still. Then his head went down a moment and back up, smiling, knowing his mother would still be there.

"What are you? Hey baby boy." Liv sat up and pulled him from the cradle. "How did you get here?" Grant's head, just like his father went to his favorite area for now, and Liv let him latch to get his food.

Fitz turned to see her feeding him and sat up. He rubbed his eyes looking at the time. He only fell asleep around an hour ago trying to get to the bottom of Huck's disappearance and how he was going to approach the week with tomorrow being Monday.

He rubbed his son's curls and looked at Liv. "He was having trouble sleeping, I had to go to the main house for some things and Erin was up with him. It was 2 a.m. I walked him over here while Toby set up the cradle."

"I didn't hear you leave, come in, or Toby set up the cradle, you tired me out, Mister." Liv smiled rubbing her one hand down his chest.

"You didn't even know he was laying next to you for a few minutes either. It really calmed him down, feeling your body next to his, he was comforted. I know that feeling." Grant placed his head now turned towards Fitz between Liv's breasts.

Grant smiled as wide and bright as when he saw his mother's face as when he saw Fitz's face. "Hey big guy, come here to daddy." Fitz put Grant on his lap as Liv was able to sit upright now. She watched as Grant was playing with his daddy's big hands in his small, tiny hands.

"What's going on? You have a look in your eyes." Liv body suddenly felt numb. She took a scared breath. "Fitz, what, is it Erin? God, no, not Erin." Both Liv's hands went to her face.

"No, no, hey, listen to me ok, just listen." Grant was now with Fitz's finger cupped in his hand. Fitz reached over and got Grant one of his teething toys, and Grant forgot about Fitz's hand as the toy soothed his gums.

"Huck is missing, he just disappeared. MiMi said he was working in his computer room, she brought him a snack and twenty minutes later he was gone, no trace of him. I think he got your phone call and headed here. He has some high tech surveillance in the house so Luther and Alec are trying to make sense out of it. There are so many firewalls though."

Liv calmed down a bit. "He's not missing, he's dark. If Dez hasn't been located yet, and Huck is dark." Liv stopped for a moment. "Well, you'll find Dez soon enough, but it will be piece by piece." Liv wasn't worried for Huck, she was worried for any one in Huck's path, all except for Dez that is.

"Dark?" Fitz watched as Liv calmly got up. He scooped Grant up with him, following her towards the bathroom door.

"Yes, dark, we have a few senators coming over for brunch, and Vivian gets introduced as my new Chief of Staff, we also have to go over my speeches for the upcoming events. I'll shower, can you get Grant ready, did you bring clothes over?"

"Liv, aren't you worried about Huck?"

She paused before she entered the bathroom. "No, not at all, I'm worried about any one who gets in his way. I'll be looking for clues, he'll drop them, until then, we are Grant's parents and Governor and First Lady of California." She gave him a small kiss on his cheek and rubbed her nose with Grant's as she took her long hot shower.

Huck was led through some dark tunnels in the undergrounds of San Diego. They arrived what seemed like a well lighted apartment underground. Huck looked around. There were stashes of cash, drug waste, and boxes lining the wall.

"We have to get organized we're just getting on my feet, and as you know I had bring myself back down, I was lost for a bit. Jax Putney was like my father, and well, we will work on the revenge. Right now we have the crime spree going throughout San Diego. That's pissing off the silver spoon Governor. His father, too, traitor to Jax. I'm on a fucking mission, Shag." He held up some heroine and Huck declined.

Huck picked up a knife. It was sharp and he saw the blood coming from Dez's corraded artery and spewing to the ground as he keeled over. Huck blinked and heard Dez go right on talking. It would happen, Huck couldn't wait. Right now, he was on the inside. He was in his dark mode.

As Huck stared at the shiny knife, much like a teenager looks at his new car, Dez gave him a pat on the back. "Go ahead, the knife it yours." He handed Huck a picture. "You can use it on him first. Fucking backstabber to Jax, and he's only going to cause more damage, rid the state of him before money is wasted on an election."

Huck looked down at the picture and recognized Senator Sanderson. He walked over to a computer not yet set up and got to work. This was going to be fun. Then he looked up and he stopped. Maybe not. On the wall next to him were about twenty pictures.

Every single picture had two people in it, Olivia and Grant. Dez walked over smiling. He nodded. "We need a computer guy around here, you know a thing or two?"

Huck couldn't stop staring at the pictures. He could tell you when each one was taken. Dez looked at what he was looking at. "yeah, that's the grandfather of all our missions. Welcome aboard Shag, let's get started, one dead politician at a time."