A/N: Welcome back, Gladiators! I don't think I have ever been so invested in my own story! I may need to slow down so that I ensure I am giving you the best quality, but I will let you know if I go back and adjust previous chapters as we move through! Hopefully last chapter brought up questions about the past… because this chapter has your answers! Please enjoy.

Forever,

Your Gladiator

Chapter 3

FIVE YEARS AGO

It was finally Olivia's twenty-first birthday, her and Abby had been looking forward to this night for months. Sure, they had their fair share of alcohol in college, bouncing from party to party when they could, but finally being able to get out of the regular college scene was all they had wanted for at least the last year. Part of that desire was because of the nasty, cheap booze they were stuck indulging in at the campus frat parties. Most of what they got their hands on was watered down or tasted like straight rubbing alcohol. But the main thing the two freshly legal girls wanted was to get away from the college aged boys and find themselves sophisticated men that could wine and dine them. Men, that's what they had on their minds as they left their small apartment to celebrate Olivia on a cold, January night. That is what they had on their minds as they walked into Cafe Citron, choosing to meet a few more of their close friends at the bar after a short pregame in Abby's apartment.

They walked into the bar at 9pm, giving them an hour to get a few drinks in them before the bar switched into a nightclub where they would spend the rest of the night dancing and celebrating. The two young ladies smiled widely after being let in by the bouncer out front, they took a moment to take in the scenery before their eyes laid on Quinn, sitting at the bar and sipping on some sort of brightly colored cocktail.

"You couldn't wait for us before getting started?" Liv smiled, taking a seat next to Quinn as she politely waved the bartender over. "I'll have a paloma please."

"And I'll have a strawberry margarita and we need three shots of tequila." Abby took a seat on the other side of Olivia, avoiding the wide eyed look her two friends gave her. "We are celebrating your birthday Liv, so don't give me that look. We are here to party and I intend on all three of us being near a blackout by the time we get back to my place." Abby always was the most adventurous of the three, and it was a quality that Olivia always loved. In many ways Olivia and Abby were polar opposites, and that was exactly what made them such a great duo. Once all three ladies had a drink in front of them, they raised their shot glasses and downed them back, finishing with a laugh and a call for three more.

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He had decided when he first enlisted that he would retire from the Navy by the time he hit thirty. Fitz had enlisted at twenty two, right after graduating from undergrad and during his eight years in the Navy he graduated first in his class as a Naval Academy pilot before going on to being first in his class at Harvard law. The last eight years had been nothing but hard work and he was ready to move on. Tonight was supposed to be a last hoorah as members of his platoon celebrated his years of achievements and wished him luck on his new adventures.

They sat at two large tables, pitchers of beers and empty shot glasses filled both tables as the twelve men boasted with laughter. Among his eleven friends was Commander Jacob Ballard, one of Fitz's closest friends through his time in the Navy. Jake was a couple years younger than Fitz and this entire outing was his idea, a way of giving his Captain a proper sendoff. The two men had leaned on each other for years and both hoped that the friendship they had built would remain even after Fitz moved on.

It was just after nine when the doors of the bar opened for nearly the hundredth time since they had arrived at the bar, but this time Fitz felt the need to look towards the door and that's the moment he nearly stopped breathing. She was small, standing at 5'8 in her heels but he figured that without them she probably rested at around 5'4. Her skin was dark, but it glowed under the bar lights and there was plenty of skin for his eyes to wander over. Her hair was left down and straight, falling just below her shoulders and her makeup was left simple, the gold on her eyes accentuating her chocolate brown eyes. Then her skin was bare, completely bare until it reached the curves of her breasts which were covered by a skintight, white, strapless corset top that dipped low between her breasts and cut off high on her hips. He let his eyes wander slowly as she stood in the doorway, taking in as much of her as he possibly could from his table. But then, then she started walking and that's when his mouth began to dry.

Her low-rise black jeans hugged her hips perfectly. He had a perfect view of the small dips that her jeans just didn't quite hide and the closer she got to the bar the more his view shifted. Now he could see her ass, it fit snugly in her jeans but he could tell even from his seat that it was undoubtedly a perfect mixture of firm and soft. Maybe it was the alcohol, god knows he was more than buzzed at this point in the night but his mind was completely flooded with the most inappropriate, sexual fantasies about this woman whose name he hadn't even learned yet. There was something more though, something beyond the fantasies. There was a deep desire to know her, to simply be near her.

"Grant, hey! We are grabbing another round. You want one?"

Fitz cleared his throat and looked at his empty glass before standing up. "You guys got the last few, let me get this one." He collected as many dirty glasses as he could handle and made his way to the bar before anyone could protest. Deciding to play it safe, he put a few feet between himself and the three women now sitting and downing tequila shots. The bartender knew his order by now, the group of Navy men were paying this month's rent for him tonight, so he made sure to memorize the exact order they had been placing all night. As he loaded the trays back up for the table, he noticed that his current favorite patron had his attention elsewhere.

Fitz took a couple of steps closer, the beautiful woman that had grabbed his attention had her back to him and it made him ache. He wanted to see her; he wanted her to see him. After a quick run of his hand through his hair, he smiled softly and waved the bartender over. "Can you go ahead and throw their next round on my tab?" He was still a safe distance away, trying to remain polite of their evening but hoped this gesture may bring her attention to him. To his delight, it did.

"You don't have to do that. We can buy our own drinks." Her voice… God her voice was the most amazing thing he had ever heard. Heat rose to his cheeks, and he couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"I have no doubts that you can. But I couldn't help but overhear that you ladies are celebrating a birthday. Consider this a birthday gift from a stranger."

"Well thank you stranger," she was yelling. She was drunk, from the look of the counter in front of them they had blown through at least twelve shots between the three of them. He could tell in the slight slur of her words that she was quickly approaching her limit. "Happy birthday to me!" He finally looked, he met her eyes just long enough to see her grab the shot and throw it back, her neck stretching tauntingly and he couldn't help but draw his bottom lip between his teeth. The show was interrupted abruptly by a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey man, these drinks aren't going to bring themselves. Let's go."

When he and Jake reached their table, Jake leaned into Fitz and lowered his voice so they could speak as privately as possible in the crowded room. "Look man, I know you've slept your way through most of DC but three women? That's a stretch even for you."

Fitz couldn't help but laugh at his insinuation. "I'm only interested in one. The birthday girl, and she didn't hardly give me the time of day." Two sets of eyes settled on the three women and watched as they walked to another small group of women on the dance floor. "And I'll have you know, I don't think I have slept with a single woman in this bar."

"Shit, do you see the blonde she just joined? You know I am here to celebrate you but I think I'm going to be leaving with her tonight." Jake smirked, giving Fitz a hard pat on the back.

"Good luck with that," Fitz chuckled and sat back in his chair. He brought his scotch up to his lips and let the burn rest on his tongue as his eyes settled on the beautiful woman he had set his sights on. Despite his playboy reputation, he needed more liquid courage if he was going to bring himself to make a move tonight.

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They lost track of time, Olivia working up a sweat on the dance floor and Fitz working up a sweat watching her move. His window was running out, and if he didn't make a move soon there was no guarantee that he would ever see her again. With the last of his scotch, he had lost count of how many he had tonight, he stood up and placed a hand on Jake's shoulder while he regained his balance.

"Alright, I'm going for it." He let out a breath of hot air and began stalking his way onto the dancefloor. His eyes never left her body, the way she moved has had him hooked all night and not once had she even looked his way. Despite his dominant presence in the room, she still didn't notice him approaching her. His eyes were locked on her, and he was very much a man on a mission.

That was, of course, until a set of petite hips pressed against his crotch and stopped him mid step. At the new presence in his space, he looked down to find the blonde from earlier grinding herself against him. He placed his hand on her hip, trying to still her movements. "Can I help you?"

"I sure hope you can," she turned until she was facing him, her face level with his chest. He looked down at her and offered a polite smile before she continued. "I'm Amanda. What's your name sailor?" Fitz scoffed a bit and shook his head.

"I'm not a sailor, I'm a pilot. Some of my buddies over there are sailors, I would be happy to introduce you-"

From their table, Jake could see Fitz and the blonde that he had set his sights on. After all of these years, he never imagined that his best friend would go after a girl that he was interested in. Yeah, Fitz slept around a lot. He was a whore. But for the most part he respected his friendships enough to not go after a woman that one of his friends was interested in. He was seething, maybe it was the booze that had him so riled up but he just couldn't handle it and had to do something about it. After two quick shots of vodka, Jake stood up and made his way across the dancefloor. Bodies were moving, music was pounding through him, and he caught her eye in the crowd only mere moments before he was standing in front of her. "Hi, I'm Jake. I just had to tell you that you look absolutely stunning tonight. Is there any chance in hell that I might be lucky enough to get your number before you leave tonight?"

She smiled brightly at him, this night was supposed to be about her and her girls, but they had also agreed it was about finding a real man. Maybe for a night, maybe for a lifetime. "I'm Olivia, why don't we go somewhere quieter?"

Fitz's eyes caught Jakes; he was walking outside with the woman that had him under a spell all night. There was something in Jake's eyes, something that told Fitz their bond had been broken. For whatever reason though, that broken bond wasn't affecting him nearly as much as watching this stranger walk away from him in someone else's arms.

A/N: And there it is! The real first meeting of Fitz and Olivia. I hope this also gave you all a real look at the relationship between Liv and Jake. I personally have a soft spot for Jake, but once I get into this world, I have to believe that he is the enemy. Leave your thoughts!