A/N: Thank you for coming back! I have so many ideas for this story, so many of them inspired by the amazing stories I have read from fellow writers! Please be prepared for me to go back and change chapters based on your feedback. Chapter 1 has already been updated for accuracy. I hope you continue to enjoy and let me know what you think after Fitz and Liv meet!

Forever,

Your Gladiator

Chapter 2

"We are done talking about this! If you and my father want this so badly, I suggest you find someone else. I have work that I need to get back to." Fitz huffs as he walks to the small playpen sitting beside his desk. He leans down and picks up Jerry, cradling the two-month-old against his chest. "This conversation is not happening in my office again, Mellie. I would prefer it not happen at all but if you won't grant me that then at least wait until I get home." His voice is softer now, making sure that his son feels nothing but peace in his arms.

"How are we supposed to have this conversation at home when you're never home, Fitz? When I married you, I thought that you were going to pursue politics, that we would be on the Hill! That was the whole point, I even gave you two children so that your image would be impeccable!"

He feels his blood boiling, the thought that the only reason for their marriage was some power grab is enough to send him into a blind rage by itself. The fact that she could even suggest that their children were nothing more than some ornamental piece that he could use to become governor has him seeing red. Before he has a chance to respond, he notices the small figure outside of his office door and clears his throat.

"Hi, you must be Olivia. We were just finishing up here, please come in and have a seat." He presses a kiss to Jerry's head before handing him back to Mellie. He doesn't bother with so much as a goodbye, he simply turns his back and makes his way to his desk to find Olivia's resume and lets Mellie see herself out. Olivia smiles softly at Mellie as they pass through the doorway, but she can't help but hate the woman for what she just overheard.

As she walks into the office, she is finally able to get a good look at the man, the myth, the legend that is Fitzgerald Grant. The first thing she notices is how tall he is, even though he is bent over at the waist she can tell he is at least 6'3. And he is broad, definitely sporting large, toned muscles under his well-fitted white button down. His arms are stretching against the fabric of his shirt, leaving little to the imagination and Olivia can't help but take in the sight. When he finally looks up at her, she notices his striking blue eyes. They're dark, obviously filled with anger but the blue in them is still enough to make her want to melt. She tries to finish her tour of his physical attributes but is cut off unexpectedly when Fitz comes around the desk and stands in front of her, offering his hand for her to shake.

She clears her throat and shakes her head, ridding herself of the borderline inappropriate thoughts she was just having about the man standing in front of her. She places her hand in his and holds in the gasp that threatens to leave her body, something about his touch is electrifying and she does everything in her power to ignore it as she looks up into his eyes, letting their gaze meet for the first time.

He hadn't allowed himself to look at her until that moment, wanting some of his anger to subside before that was the only impression she had of him. As their eyes meet though, a feeling of familiarity washes over him and it is evident in the way his eyes soften before Olivia. It was a face he hadn't seen in many years, and never this close. He could tell that the feeling was one sided, she clearly doesn't remember him and maybe that's okay. It had been five years, while he never had a chance to talk to her that night he could tell that she had been extremely drunk. Even if they had spoken, she probably wouldn't have remembered the next day, let alone five years later.

When Oliva finally averts her eyes from his penetrating gaze, he realizes he had been holding her hand for far too long and slowly lets go. He clears his throat and returms to his desk in three long strides, taking a seat before looking down at the pages in front of him. "I'm Fitzgerald Grant the Third, in case you were expecting the other Mr. Grant," he smiles, trying to lighten the unforeseen tension floating between them. "And you are Olivia Pope. I don't see much experience on your resume, and it doesn't look like you graduated law school. That's not exactly what we were looking for-"

Before he can finish, Olivia cuts him off. "With all due respect Mr. Grant, if that wasn't what you were looking for then why did you bring me in for an interview? I certainly don't want to waste my morning if you only brought me here to tell me that I am not good enough." She crosses her right leg over her left, sitting up more to make her presence fully known to him and to show him that she is far more than a college dropout. He can't help the smirk that forms on his lips, which only annoys Olivia more and she lets out a quiet scoff before his voice fills her ears again.

"I assure you Ms. Pope, I am not trying to waste your time. I was simply observing. We have a mutual friend; I believe you studied under Cyrus Beene recently?" He raises an eyebrow at her, waiting for some kind of confirmation as he tosses the folder with her name on it back onto his desk. She relaxes back into her chair slightly, giving him only a small nod in response. "I called Cyrus when I saw your application. He told me a little bit about you not finishing school, he said he couldn't understand it because you're one of the best students he's ever had. So I guess I am trying to ask you why…why are you here instead of finishing school and working at an actual law firm?"

His question surprises her, and she isn't sure if she is ready or willing to be this vulnerable with a future employer. But eventually, she relents, knowing that if she wants this job she needs to plead her case one way or another. "Well, as soon as I graduated from undergrad, I started paying off my student loans. I didn't want to rack up more debt, especially because I was trying to start building my life. Then, my now fiancé decided that he wanted to start his own business and all of our savings went into that. I had to make the decision then that I would drop out of school and return at a better time." She notices a change in his demeanor at the mention of Jake, he seems surprised and maybe even a little disappointed at her revelation. "Now that we have a wedding to pay for, I want to get back to work and I would like to get re-enrolled in school sooner rather than later. I know that you are looking for an assistant, but I think I am far more qualified than making coffee runs and picking up your dry cleaning."

A soft chuckle escapes his lips at her last comment, of course he wouldn't ever consider making this woman a desk jockey or errand bitch for him. She was smart, he knew that from the hour-long conversation he had with Cyrus about her. He may not know her, not really, but he could see the potential in her and already wanted to be a part of her future success.

"I would like you to think of this position as more of an advisor role. I have so many legal hoops to jump through in this office that I can't keep up with all of it on my own. Of course, I will still need your assistance with scheduling here and there, but I would prefer to see you learn from this experience and jump start your career with me." With me. Those weren't the words he meant to say, but as he looks into her eyes, he can't help the slip of the tongue and with any hope she didn't notice it.

She lets out a breath that neither of them noticed she had been holding and allows a full smile to grace her lips. The sight of it causes his chest to tighten, he has seen this smile before and it has the same effect on him as it did the first time he saw it. She leans forward in her chair, shuffling her hips slightly to get more comfortable. From where he is seated, Fitz can see everything from her shoulder length, straightened bob to the white polish on her freshly pedicured toes. He takes a quick moment to move his eyes up her body, gazing over her long mocha-colored legs that are revealed all too well in front of him. His eyes stop briefly when he notices how her hips move, the movements are just enough to give him a glimpse of her full, plump ass that is clearly begging to be released from her dress. Finally, he lets his eyes wander to her breasts that are just barely concealed by the deep neckline and he stifles a groan. She is absolutely intoxicating, all he can do is hope the feeling is fleeting and that she won't be a distraction going forward.

"I would love to be here. I know your work well, and I think that we could be a great match if you'll have me." Her voice pulls him away from his inappropriate thoughts, but the words that come from her lips only stir up new ones that he has to distract himself from quickly.

"I think we are in agreement then. Can you start on Monday? I need you here at 8am to start your onboarding paperwork and then we can get started."

With a nod, she laughs lightly and stands to shake his hand once more. He follows suit, grabbing her hand as she speaks once more, "Monday sounds great. Do you have any further questions for me? Or is there anything I need to know before then?" He shakes his head and lets his hand drop to his side.

"I think I have everything I need. Please make sure to drop off your key card when you get downstairs. You'll receive your own on Monday and I will give you the tour then." He smiles at her, it's a warm and inviting smile that Olivia can't help but reciprocate. For the last almost hour, she has failed to think about Jake. She doesn't even think of asking him before accepting Fitz's job offer. Right now, she feels like she can be selfish, like she can make this decision for herself, and she feels good about it. This is the start of her future, and she can't help the excitement she has when she thinks about returning to this place, to this man on Monday morning.

A/N: Well there you have it. I am sure this chapter raised questions, as it was supposed to! Stay tuned for all of your answers. I will let you all know that if I do this right it will be a somewhat slow moving story, I want to draw this out as long as possible because I miss Liv and Fitz! With that being said, despite the integral roles of Mellie and Jake, this story will be Olivia and Fitz focused. Drop a review, let me know what you think and what you hope to see!