A/N: Welcome back! I am glad you enjoyed the last chapter, I definitely feel like I rushed it so I may go back and tighten it up a bit. To answer some of your questions for clarity- Fitz does not currently know that Jake and Liv are still together. His reaction was just jealous Fitz finding out someone else has what he wants. More questions will be answered as you keep reading. Thank you for reading, the more you all react the quicker I will have the next chapter up!

Forever,

Your Gladiator

Chapter 4

Current Day

He was already drunk, it was barely after four in the afternoon and he was already on the couch drunk. Liv hadn't come home right after her interview, she and Abby had lunch plans and then spent part of the afternoon window shopping for wedding dresses. They hadn't yet set a budget for the wedding, but Olivia was so excited that she didn't want to waste any time on planning as much as she could, even if it was just vague ideas and wishes for now.

"Hey babe, how was your day?" She didn't really need to ask, from the looks of it he had put down at least a six pack of beer already. She sighed quietly as she set her purse down on the end table, making her way into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine.

"We lost a big contract today. Remember the Johnstown project I told you about? They looked over the portfolio we put together and decided to go another direction. That was supposed to be a half a million dollar project." The anger, defeat, and disappointment is evident in his voice. Her heart breaks for him, at some point in his life he had decided that he wanted to be an architect, he had put in the work to make it happen and worked even harder to build his own company but lately business was slow and he was starting to feel like a failure. "How was your interview?"

That was the question she was dreading. They had agreed that she would talk to him before making a decision, but in her excitement she already agreed to start working in just three short days. Her wine glass touches her lips slowly, and she inhales the familiar scent with a shaky breath. After a long, hard swallow she makes her way into the living room and sits in the recliner beside the couch, not able to be near him right now. She curls her legs under her body, attempting to shield herself from what his reaction will be to her going back on her promise to him.

"Yeah, about that…" the deep red of her glass swirls slowly and she watches it. Her focus is on the length and the width of the legs her wine leaves on the glass, trying hard to avoid the gaze she feels coming from him. He already knows what she is going to say, Olivia has no doubt about that but she still has to say the words. After another deep breath, she finally tears her gaze from the glass and his green, hazy eyes are on her. His right eyebrow is raised expectantly, waiting for her to finish. "I know we said that we would talk about it, and I meant that when I said it, but when I was there and was really able to see the opportunities available for me- for us- I just said yes. I didn't mean to, I wanted to talk to you, something just came over me."

Her eyes drop again, not wanting to see his reaction. She feels guilty enough and with the amount he has had to drink there's no doubt his response could be explosive. They have had their fair share of fights, and most of them occurred after Jake had one too many drinks. It was never anything she held against him, to her it was normal behavior and she never once thought it was something to be concerned about. He's standing now, finishing the last of his current beer as he walks towards the stairs. "Yeah, Fitzgerald Grant always seems to have that effect. Good luck with the new job babe, so happy for you."

Jake isn't happy, it doesn't take a genius to catch the annoyance and anger in his voice. Olivia is stunted, she expected him to yell or argue or tell her absolutely not. What she did not expect was for him to be so passive aggressive, to just walk away from her without even the slightest fight back. She doesn't know what to do, she could follow him and make him talk to her which would inevitably end in a screaming match between the two of them, or she can stay here. She can stay where it's dark, the only light and sound coming from the television. If she stays, Jake will end up passing out before she has to confront him again. There's a bottle of vodka in his nightstand, that's what he is heading for, she has no doubt about that.

What is it about Fitzgerald Grant that he despises so much? In the five years they have been together Olivia has had plenty of meetings with his old friends, some close and some just acquaintances. She looks back on the parties, the dinners, the weddings and not once can she recall meeting her new boss. She could ask, but it's not like it would be the first time. Jake has made it clear over the years that Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III is not his friend, and that he doesn't want to discuss him ever for any reason. So for now, with little answers and no resolution, she decides to stay in her spot but only after bringing her bottle of wine from the kitchen to the table beside the couch. Reruns of Friends will keep her occupied until Jake drinks himself to sleep and she can finally retire to her bed.

The living room light is still on, which means Mellie is still awake. He hopes that if Mellie is awake then Gerry and Karen might also still be awake. It's only nine and he had spent the last four hours struggling with an internal battle. He could stay at work until he knew for sure that Mellie was asleep, he had more than enough work to do that he could use as an excuse, or he could set aside the work for tomorrow so he could go home and kiss his kids goodnight. His kids- Gerry only two months old and Karen, the wild and rambunctious nearly three year old. They were the only things that got him through each day, they were the best part of his life and he hated himself for wanting to avoid his home when they were there waiting for him.

With both reluctance and simultaneous excitement for goodnight kisses driving him, he pushes the front door open and immediately a smile stretches across his lips. "Daddy!" Karen is yelling as she slides her small body off the couch, running directly into his long legs. His laugh is the most genuine it ever is when his children are involved and he wastes no time reaching down to pick the beautiful toddler up into his arms.

"Hi my princess! How was your day? What are you doing up so late?" He presses a kiss to her cheek, and much to his dismay Karen is not the voice that answers his questions.

"She wanted to wait for you, absolutely refused to go to bed until you got home. You know I try to have her in bed by eight, the least you could have done is called." Mellie's voice is cold, as it typically is when she speaks to him. It wasn't always like that though, for the first two years of their relationship they were actually happy. They had fun, they laughed, and they were rarely cold towards each other. Sometime after the conception of Karen though, that all changed and to this day he doesn't know what the culprit could have been. Did he change? Did she? Was it a dual effort? He tries not to think about it though, not when his beautiful daughter is resting her head so peacefully on his shoulder.

His voice is soft and sincere when he speaks, just after placing a soft kiss on Mellie's cheek. "I know, I'm sorry honey. I got so backed up that I didn't even notice the time when I finally got out of there. Hopefully the late nights will stop soon, I just hired someone today that will hopefully be able to help me with everything that's sinking me right now."

He sits beside her on the couch and moves Karen so that she is across his lap with her head snuggled into his chest. She is clearly tired and will probably fall asleep right here within the next few minutes. "Is it the woman that walked into your office before I left today? She was pretty, definitely looked a little slutty though." Mellie uncrosses her legs and lifts herself from the couch, heading to the kitchen to prepare Gerry's bottles for the midnight feeds and start turning all of the lights out. He starts to respond, annoyed by her immediate and disrespectful assumption of Olivia Pope when a small voice pipes up from his chest.

"Daddy, what does slutty mean? Does it mean pretty or nice?" Of course she wasn't asleep yet. Karen is a smart kid, and since she uttered her first word she has developed the great skill of repeating and questioning every new word that comes into her lexicon.

"It's not a very nice word sweetie, mommy didn't mean to say it. Let's forget about that word for now, okay?

"Okay daddy, I'm tired. Will you put me in bed after I fall asleep?"

"Of course, goodnight my princess." He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and let himself breathe her in for a moment. Karen has been his girl since the day she was born, the love he felt for her was like nothing he ever thought possible and his love for her only grows with each day. It still baffled him that she was going to be three in just a few short days. It seems like just yesterday that he was holding her in the delivery room, staring into her big, blue eyes as he held her with one hand. All he ever wanted in life was a family of his own, a wife and beautiful children, maybe even a dog. The reality wasn't quite how he imagined it, but his children were still his greatest and favorite achievement in his thirty six years of life.

When he finally made his way into his bedroom, Mellie was sitting up on her side of the bed and reading under the bedside lamps. After quickly removing his clothes, he slid into bed beside her, pulling his phone out to check more work emails. It wasn't long before he finally decided that he couldn't just ignore her underhanded comment from earlier. "You know, what you said was completely uncalled for. Olivia is a smart, dedicated, and passionate woman. It's because of her that I will be able to step back from the office more. Aren't you always bitching about me working too much?"

"I want you home with your kids, Fitz. That doesn't mean I want you hiring some slutty assistant to run your drycleaning. It's not my fault she looks like the type to offer to blow you anytime you're having a bad day."

"At least she would be offering to blow me-" The words slip past his lips. They weren't supposed to, he was only supposed to think them but now it's too late. They're hanging in the air and Mellie knows he didn't say them because he wants Olivia. He said them because they have only had sex maybe six times since Karen was conceived three years ago. And unfortunately, Fitz wasn't the one that had closed the door to intimacy, it was her.

"I'm going to bed. Don't bother apologizing, it won't do either of us any good. If you need to rub one out just do it in the shower, not while you're lying next to me."

That's the end of his night. A cold shoulder, a dark room, and loneliness. How is it possible to feel this lonely while laying beside the woman you decided to dedicate your life to? He never once considered stepping outside of his marriage, not even before Karen was born. But tonight, as he lays beside his sleeping wife he is thinking about another woman. The thoughts he had of Olivia all day after she left his office weren't sexual, but now he has the picture of her blowing him in his mind and he desperately tries to keep them at bay. It's no use, every time he closes his eyes all he can see is her pouty lips wrapped around him and before he knows it the rain of the shower is pounding against his naked back.

She desperately wants to sleep. It has been a long enough day and now she is able to be comfortable in bed beside her sleeping fiance. They might be fighting right now but that has never caused her thoughts to stray before. There isn't an unfaithful bone in her body, she agreed to marry Jake and that meant everything to her even if they haven't vowed themselves to each other yet. So why is it that everytime she closes her eyes, everytime she tries to let sleep take her over, she is met with sharp blue eyes. Those aren't Jake's eyes, Jake's eyes are green, so why are they intruding her thoughts tonight? Why does she fall asleep to the image of blue eyes drinking her in? And why does she want to know if he is thinking of her too?

A/N: Thank you for reading! As I am sure you noticed, Karen is older than Gerry in this story. I just really wanted to explore Fitz as a father to a toddler daughter. This chapter is just a glimpse into their lives away from each other, but I promise to keep these limited as I know how much you all despise Jake! Lots of love to all of you for reading :)