"Spend half the week with me every other week." He's staring at her shoulder, because her face is buried in her pillow.

"Fine," she concedes.

Fitz is grinning like a Cheshire cat. "And let me tie you up?" he adds, hopefully.

"Pushing it," she says. After a moment of silence… "I'll think about it."

He gently pushes her onto her side. "Okay," he says, looking into her eyes.

She rolls her eyes, but grins. "Okay. Now will you kiss me?"

He does, gearing up for round two already.

Fitz was awake while Olivia slept on his chest, gently running his fingers through her hair. For some reason he couldn't sleep. He had a bad feeling in his gut, and no matter how hard he tried he can't shake it. It feels like they're playing a dangerous game—one with too many risks. There's the issue of Cyrus, and Fitz's heart. He's always been the kind of guy who loves hard; at least he was once he made it past his screw anything with two legs and a pulse phase in college. Was it fair of him to expect Liv to be on the same page when she's so young?

There may only be a 10-year difference between them, but those 10 years can make a lot of difference. 10 years ago Fitz couldn't see himself settling down. Hell, he was just getting started, chasing skirts and breaking hearts. But now, he doesn't want to live that life anymore and he hasn't for almost 7 years.

Their best bet would be to slow down. But he couldn't. Try as he might, Fitz was too far-gone when it came to Olivia already. Time apart would only serve to frustrate them both.

"Fitz," Olivia mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"What time is it?"

Picking up his phone, Fitz checked the time, realizing it's getting pretty late. "It's almost 9," he said, shifting so that she was lying next to him. "I should get going."

Neither of them bothered to move, though.

He looked at her, watching as she bit her lip and refused to meet his gaze.

"I don't want you to go," she admitted quietly. "I don't want to go as long as we did without seeing each other."

Her admission made Fitz feel a little better. Just knowing that, whether she's aware or wanted to admit it, she craved his presence just as much as he does hers was everything. If only they could get on the same page about what they wanted with each other long term.

"I don't want to leave you, but starting next weekend we can implement your spending half the week at my place."

"Okay," she said, trying to keep the smile off her face as she rolled her eyes. Maybe it was time for her to start trusting her feelings for Fitz and stop questioning every little thing.

After Fitz left, Olivia resigned herself to finishing the little homework she had left for her classes tomorrow. She had one headphone in, listening to music while she took notes on her reading.

"Oliviaaaa," Abby said in a sing-songy voice as she burst into Olivia's room.

"Abby…"

Abby chose to ignore the exasperated tone Olivia was giving her and proceeded to plop down on the bed.

"Remember the guy I met when we went out last weekend?"

"What guy?" Olivia asked. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to recall Abby talking to anyone outside of flirting with random men at the bar to get free drinks.

"Tall, short brown hair, hazel eyes…"

"Umm, I'm not sure I know who you're talking about. And what happened to David, I thought you guys were a thing?"

Abby made an indiscernible noise while tossing her hair over her shoulder. "He's great and all, but like I said before he refuses to go down on me. There's only so much a woman can take, and that, my friend, is a deal breaker."

Olivia can't control her laughter at Abby's statement.

"Liv, I'm serious! I've dropped hints, I've stopped going down on him, I've done everything but sit on his face while he's sleeping," Abby said with a pout.

"Luckily for me I don't share that problem with you."

"Shut up. We can't all be blessed with sex gods. Speaking of which, your room smells like sex."

Olivia chose to ignore the smirk on Abby's face. "I don't discuss my personal life."

"Lies and deceit, Liv, lies and deceit."

"Back to the guy you met."

"Well…. We had a lunch date today, and I think there might be potential here."

"And if he refuses to go down on you too?"

"I'll politely tell him not to let the doorknob hit him where the good Lord split 'em and send him packing," Abby said, laughing.

"You're ridiculous, you know that right?"

"Whatever. I just wanted to tell you about his existence in case I decided to invite him over one day soon."

"That's fine. Can I finish my work now?"

"So irritable. Fine, I'll let you get back to it."

Abby closed the door on her way out, and once she was alone, Olivia threw her pencil down on her notebook. It really wasn't fair that everyone gets to be open with their relationships and she has to sneak around like a dirty little secret. And she didn't want to admit it, but so many things about today gave her pause. She just wished she shared Fitz's decisiveness. He left little doubt in her mind that he wanted to be with her long-term, but she can't say the same about herself. Fitz has several reasons to be confused, and a part of her feels like if she doesn't get her shit together he might decide to leave her. It might help if she just voiced her fears to him, but she doesn't feel comfortable doing that at the moment, particularly when she's not sure how she feels herself.

The next day Fitz was getting a cup of coffee in the faculty lounge when Cyrus walked in. Fitz looked up upon Cyrus's entrance, noticing the contemplative look on his face.

"What's on your mind, Cy?"

"Fitz," Cyrus said, startled. "I didn't notice you standing there.

"That much was obvious," he said, chuckling. "You look like something's bothering you."

"I actually want to run an idea by you. It's about a student."

Fitz didn't respond, but he turned to face Cyrus so that he knew he had his full attention.

"One of my new advisees—the one I met with yesterday—I want her to be an assistant for the department. We haven't had one in years, but if I can get a couple of professors to agree, then I don't see why she shouldn't get approved."

Fitz spit out his coffee. "Sorry, hot." He grabbed a napkin and dapped at the coffee on his face.

Cyrus ignored him. "She's brilliant Fitz, I think we could use her help around here. Think about it, Cyrus Beene's young protégée, Olivia Pope. Nice ring to it, right?"

"Sure Cy." Fitz watched Cyrus intently, studying his body language. What were the odds that his girlfriend, who technically isn't supposed to be his girlfriend, would potentially be working with or near him throughout the day? Cyrus had to know something, and if he didn't he would figure something out. He was too perceptive for his own good.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn't check it. He watched as Cyrus fixed his own cup of coffee.

"Fitz?"

"Huh?"

"You're doing it again. I swear, every five minutes you go off into lala land." Cyrus shook his head disapprovingly as he left the lounge.

He finished his cup of coffee, balling it up and tossing it into the trash, before leaving the lounge. He had a meeting with a student in 30 minutes and he hadn't finished going over the draft of her paper that she'd emailed.

Olivia listened as the teacher droned on and on at the front of the class. She should have been taking notes, but it was hard to do so when she knew the entire PowerPoint presentation would be posted online after class. Instead, she unlocked her laptop and opened Safari. Making sure the students around her weren't that close, she typed in BDSM in the google search bar. She scrolled through the search results until she saw something about the different methods of restraining your partner. She pulled her laptop closer to her as she looked at a page filled with images: rope, cable ties, tape, handcuffs, spreader bars, etc.

What the hell am I doing? she wondered. And what the hell is a spreader bar?

She couldn't believe she was seriously considering letting Fitz tie her up, yet there she was, curiously browsing the Internet. There was a pair of thigh/wrist restraints that had her biting her lip and furrowing her brow in confusion. Then there were the spreader restraints that tied to the bed. Blindfolds. A leather choker with attached nipple clamps. She squirmed in her seat, crossing her legs to ignore the budding arousal she felt. She wondered exactly what Fitz meant when he said he wanted to tie her up. Did he mean he wanted to tie her wrists together with his tie, or did he mean he wanted to go all out?

What the hell does someone need with a vibrating butt plug?

Just in case the time ever came where they could use one of the items she quickly bookmarked the page and shut her laptop, attempting to refocus on the professor.

Thirty minutes later, the professor dismissed the class. Gathering her belongings, Olivia checked her phone as she slung her backpack over her shoulder. Abby had sent her a text asking to meet up in the quad after Olivia's class got out. Considering it was a beautiful day outside with the beginnings of fall rolling in, she decided to go ahead and meet up with Abby. It didn't take her long to make the trek to where Abby was, and it definitely didn't take her long to find Abby's red hair shining in the sunlight.

"Hey," Olivia said, tossing her bag into one of the empty seat and sitting down across from Abby. "That looks so good."

Abby stopped sucking on her straw long enough to reply. "It is. Definitely one of Starbucks' best overpriced beverages."

Olivia laughed. "It must really be good then. I don't think I've ever heard you not complaining about paying 'an arm and a leg,' as you put it, over one of their products."

"I'm just saying. If I'm gonna pay damn near $7 with taxes for a beverage I should be able to get more than a sip out of it before it's gone. If I wanted a bunch of air I'd get an inhaler. Better yet, I'd just breathe."

Olivia couldn't help but laugh hysterically this time at Abby's dramatics.

"So, how was class?" Abby asked after Olivia had calmed down.

Olivia was thankful she was Black, otherwise she'd probably be a deep shade of red. Of course when Abby asked about class the first thing Olivia thought about was her online browsing. She cleared her throat before responding. "It was good."

Abby narrowed her eyes at Olivia, scrutinizing her response. "Mhm. Just good? Why was it good?"

Olivia chose to ignore her questions. "How was yours? Did you even go to class today?"

Luckily for Olivia, if there was one thing Abby loved almost as much as sex, it was talking about herself. She could go on for hours if you let her.

Abby groaned. "I have a presentation to prepare for. It's due in three weeks, but I like to start really early."

Olivia's eyes bulged. "No kidding. I'm lucky if I'm not procrastinating until three days before."

"Yeah, no. Things pop up at the last minute so at least if I've started early, I'm not in a crunch."

"Smart." Olivia shivered from the breeze.

"Do you wanna go?" Abby asked.

Olivia didn't need to be asked twice. She grabbed her things and stood. Just as they were about to walk to their respective cars, she spotted Fitz leaving the economics building. She admired his muscular thighs in his jeans—he looked like a man who took care of his body—and his cute but manly butt as he cut across the grass. To make matters worse he had a pair of sunglasses perched on the top of his head, pushing his curls back. Olivia felt her nipples harden, and it wasn't from the autumn breeze. Abby looked over at her only to find her biting her lip. Following Olivia's line of vision, she quickly spotted Fitz.

Smirking, she elbowed Olivia in the side. "Your "little friend" is wearing the hell out of those jeans."

"Shut up," Olivia said. After a moment she added, "He really is, though."

"What I wouldn't give to be able to walk up to him and smack him on the ass. Have you ever thought about doing that?"

"Ab-by!" Olivia shrieked. She smacked her on the arm. "Chill."

At the sound of Olivia's voice, Fitz looked in their direction. He let his eyes travel the length of Olivia's body before smiling at them both. Despite the smile on his face Olivia could tell he had something on his mind. Hopefully he'd tell her about it later.

"You lucky SOB. That man, that fine specimen of a man, wants you. I honestly think half the women on campus would kill to be in your place, and none of them even know it."

"I knoooow. Trust me, I do." They got to Olivia's car first, and Abby waited on her to put her things inside before heading to her own car. "Are you going straight home?"

Abby nodded.

"Okay. I need to talk to you about something. Yes, it has to do with Fitz, before you ask."

Abby squealed and clapped. "If it has anything to do with sex, I'm your woman. Please tell me it has to do with sex?"

"Why are we friends again?" Olivia got into her car.

Fitz's phone rang in his pocket as he made his way to the faculty parking lot. Assuming it might be Olivia, he didn't check the caller ID before answering. "Hey Babe."

"Fitzy?"

"Fuck," he mumbled, unlocking his car and getting in. "Hey mama."

"I heard that Fitzgerald, watch your mouth."

"Sorry, mama."

"Now who's this 'babe' you thought was calling you, hmm?"

Fitz rolled his eyes, thankful that his mom couldn't see him. If he thought Cyrus was relentless, his mother invented persistence. He'd never hear the end of it until he either told her what she wanted to know, or she dug up the information herself. "Mom…"

"Don't 'Mom' me. Do you have a new lady friend?"

There was no use in telling her anything she didn't want to hear. Besides, she was going to meet Olivia eventually. Once Olivia was comfortable enough to take whatever they had going on to the next level and agree to be in a committed relationship with him. "Yes."

"Well… Don't go silent on me now. I want to hear all about her."

"I don't know what to tell you. It's still new right now." Knowing that he was in a slightly different place than Olivia, he was hesitant to tell his Mom about her and jinx things. He would hate to tell her all about Olivia only for things to fall through.

"But?"

Fitz couldn't help but laugh. No one knew him like his mama. "But nothing mama."

"Fine," she relented. "At least tell me her name."

"Her name's Olivia. Olivia Pope."

"That's a beautiful name."

"She's a beautiful woman."

Fitz heard his Dad yelling for his mom in the background, and he'd never been more thankful for an interruption.

She moved the phone from her face and yelled, "Hold on Gerry! I'm talking to Fitz."

"How's my favorite son doing? Don't tell Michael I said that," Gerry yelled in the background.

Fitz smiled. "Tell Dad I said hi."

"I will. Listen, I called because I wanted to tell you about Michael's engagement party, and I wanted to know if you were going to be able to come home."

"Michael's engaged?" Fitz yelled.

"Yes. It just happened two days ago. He doesn't want a party but I'm throwing them one anyway. At least one of my children is going to settle down and hopefully give me grandkids."

"Mama, don't start. I'm working on it, okay?"

"Mhm, okay Fitzy. I have to let you go, though. I swear your Dad needs my help with everything. Anyway, I'll talk to you later on tonight or tomorrow, and we'll discuss the date among other things."

"Okay. I love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

Fitz hung up the phone and cranked his car. He sat there for a moment just thinking about their conversation. Michael was getting married…before him, no less. His little brother was growing up. He was definitely happy for him and the future family he may have, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't ready to settle down too. Maybe not right this moment, but sooner rather than later. He wasn't getting any younger after all. All in due time, though. In a year's time, maybe Olivia would be Mrs. Grant, or soon-to-be Mrs. Grant.

Abby and Olivia were sitting on Abby's bed eating ice cream while Abby waited for Olivia to ask her whatever was on her mind. She ate a scoop of Olivia's vanilla bean ice cream despite Olivia glaring at her.

"So," Olivia began, "Have you ever…you know?" She didn't know why she felt so shy talking about it. It's not like she was a prude or anything.

"No Liv, I don't know, because I can't read minds," Abby said.

"Ugh, I can't believe I'm asking you of all people." She licked the back of her spoon and dropped it into the empty bowl. Taking a deep breath, she blurted out, "Have you ever experimented with BDSM?"

Abby's eyes were nearly bulging out of her head as she looked at Olivia. "Are you and Fitz spanking and tying each other up? Is that what y'all are doing behind closed doors?"

Olivia blushed.

"Ohhhhmygaaawd. I knew he was a dream come true." Abby sighed dreamily. "A man after my own heart, I tell you."

"Stop it. We haven't done it, yet." Olivia placed her bowl on Abby's nightstand as she moved over to lay her head in Abby's lap. "But the last time he was here he asked me to spend more time with him, like staying over some weekends, and he asked if he could tie me up. We haven't discussed anything more than that, but I was curious so I might've been doing some browsing online in class today."

"Wow. You must really like him Liv. Seriously. That's a major step to take with someone, whether y'all do something minor or extreme."

"I know. I mean I've always been curious to a certain degree, but I knew it would take a lot of trust for me to delve into that territory with anyone."

"You trust him." It wasn't a question, more of a statement.

Olivia contemplated what that meant exactly. That level of trust meant giving a part of her self to him that was vulnerable, easily broken; like her heart. After a while she said, "I do. I really do."

Sensing a moment of revelation for her, Abby didn't respond. She simply ran her hand through Olivia's hair and let her lie there and think.

"I miss him more than I should whenever he's not here or I'm not there. It's to the point now where my entire mood will change."

"Is that a bad thing?" Abby asked.

"Yes!" Olivia exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "Well… not really. It just—it scares me sometimes. When he came over yesterday, I tried to convince myself that everything was just physical between us because then it's easier to deal with. I can compartmentalize that, but when he asked me to spend half of my week at his place I freaked out because my immediate thought was why didn't he ask sooner. Not a flat-out refusal. So I backtracked, and I know he was confused by my behavior. I was confused myself."

"What about him scares you the most?"

"He's perfect, Abby, and realistically, no one is. So I'm just waiting on his imperfections to show. Or maybe he'll realize how messed up my life is and leave me. I have a stalker ex who's liable to pop up at any moment for all we know. Then what?" She paused for a moment. "I'm not a believer in fairytale romances, but I could be for him. I want to be the girl that the guy gets at the end of the movie, and that's not real life. A part of me feels like he could be my soulmate and that scares the everlasting shit out of me."

Abby contemplated what Olivia told her. On the one hand, she got Olivia's hesitance, but sometimes we overcomplicate things when they don't need to be. "Why?"

"If I fuck this up who am I supposed to be with after him? You don't go from your soulmate to some mediocre Joe."

"Have you tried to tell him this yet?"

Olivia gave Abby a sheepish look. "No," she admitted quietly.

"Hon, do that. I think you guys have the potential to have an explosive, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love, but right now, you're your own biggest obstacle."

Olivia looked up at Abby. "When did you get so wise? I didn't think you had a serious bone in your body."

Abby thumped Olivia's forehead. "One, I resent that statement, and two, for your lovely information this is why we're friends."

"Yeah, yeah," Olivia said, laughing as she got up. Before she left Abby's room she turned to face her. "Thank you. I didn't realize I needed to get all of that out until I did."

"Don't thank me. Just go talk to loverboy."

Fitz was in his office with a glass of bourbon in hand, winding down. He was staring at nothing in particular as he savored each sip. His mind was going over the day's events: Michael's engagement, his mother, Olivia… Would Olivia agree to be his date to the wedding, or would she find some excuse to not go? What would his mother say if she met Olivia? He knew she'd like her just as much as he did. Unbeknownst to Olivia, there was something about her that drew people in. Perhaps it was her eyes, or her understated beauty. Whatever it may be, he was caught in her web and he couldn't escape if he wanted to, and he didn't. He knew he might be rushing things between them, but he couldn't stop himself. When you see a good thing you don't let it slip past you. She was a good thing. She was his good thing. He wouldn't be satisfied until he felt like she was really his and wouldn't feel the need to run or freak out.

He wasn't expecting company so he was startled when his doorbell rang. Looking at his watch, he realized it was almost eight in the evening. Not bothering to put down his glass, he made his way to the front door. Spotting Liv through the peephole, he quickly opened the door.

She was looking over her shoulder at nothing in particular when she heard him open the door. Her hands were clasped in front of her. "Hi."

"Hi," he responded, taking her in. Her hair was in a loose ponytail and her face was makeup free. She had on the same oversized long sleeve t-shirt from earlier and leggings. She made the simplest outfit look like designer clothes. She was so beautiful she made his heart ache just looking at her. "You're here on my doorstep?"

"I'm here on your doorstep. Can I come in?"

Fitz stepped back so that she could come inside. He didn't realize she had two bags on her shoulders until she dropped them on the ground. "What are those?"

She shrugged casually. "Just a few clothes and other items. You know… if I'm going to be staying here." She smiled at the confused look on Fitz's face. "I had a very good talk with my roommate today, and she helped me realize some things. So I figured now we should talk."

"Liv…" Fitz felt his stomach drop. Despite the promising aspect of her bringing some of her things over, those three words usually preceded bad news. He wasn't sure if he should prepare himself for good or not so good, borderline bad news.

"Come here." She grabbed his empty hand and led him over to his couch. "Sit."

He placed his glass on the end table and sat, keeping his eyes on her face.

"You know, this is were it all started. That first night you brought me home, we ended up on this couch. The first time we had a real conversation and you told me all about your days as a serial heartbreaker, and your family. Since then, things have happened relatively fast for us."

Fitz watched her pace as she spoke. He had no idea where this was going, but he was willing to wait her out. If she'd been planning some elaborate speech just to tell him she wanted to be fuck buddies or something, then he'd just have to make sure she didn't leave here until he convinced her otherwise.

"We haven't known one another long, yet it feels like I've known you for years sometimes. We've bonded so quickly. When you came over yesterday, I was scared out of my mind. Not because of what you said, but my reaction to it." She moved to straddle his lap, placing her hands on both sides of his face.

Fitz listened as she relayed the conversation she had with Abby to him. His eyes began to water and his chest tightened when she said she felt like he was her soulmate. He gently placed his hands on her hips, softly kneading her flesh with his fingers.

"You're not going to fuck this up," he told her. "If anything, I feel like I'll do that. We'll both make mistakes, but we can get through them as long as we don't stop fighting for each other, as long as we communicate."

Olivia kissed his forehead, letting her lips linger. "You know when something happens, you're the one I want to talk to." She kissed his nose. "I don't want to keep running from you and being afraid for whatever reason I can think up. I want to fight for you, for us…this."

"I don't want you to run either. Not unless you're running to me."

"You are so corny." She laughed as tears fell down her face. "But seriously, the thought of actually losing you, that terrifies me way more than giving myself to you."

"What are you saying to me Livvie?" His hands moved up under her t-shirt, wrapped around her slender waist. His fingers were pressed so hard into her skin that she was sure to have light bruising if he didn't let up soon. His eyes searched her as he waited with baited breath. Her next words had the power to make or break him.

"I'm saying I'm all in."

His eyes lit up causing her to smile. "Really? All in? Like, in in? As in, we're doing this in?"

"Yes, in in." She laughed. "I'm all you—"

Before she could finish her sentence Fitz kissed her like his life depended on it. He wrapped his arms around her, crushing her body into his. His tongue parted her lips, seeking entrance into her mouth.

When he couldn't breathe anymore, he pulled back for air. "What brought this on?" He had to know.

"Honestly?" she asked. He nodded his head. "Handcuffs."

Fitz laughed. "What?"

Olivia blushed. She traced the shell of his ear with her finger as she avoided his gaze. "Well, I might've been looking up some things today regarding tying me up."

Fitz's eyes immediately darkened and his expression turned serious. "Yeah?" He eyed her wrists, rubbing his thumbs on the insides.

She nodded.

"Tell me more." He quickly changed their position so that she was lying underneath him on the couch.

"I'm being serious Fitz."

"Oh, me too." He murmured, holding her wrists above her head. "I have a pair in my bedroom by the way. We can start with those."

"Focus!"

"I am. You said handcuffs brought this on, and I'm talking about using them."

"If you don't let me finish I wont let you use them on me later."

"Really? I have your wrists in my hand right now. I could easily tie them together using my tie and there'd be nothing you could do."

"Aaaaas I was saying, I was browsing and after school I was talking to Abby about everything and she helped me come to a realization. She told me I should talk to you, and that's how I ended up here."

"Remind me to thank her later. Does she like shopping?"

"She's Abby, there are few things she doesn't like," Olivia said as she wrapped her legs around Fitz's waist. He pressed his hips into hers, enjoying the feeling of being between her legs. He wanted to stay right there forever. The look in his eyes let Olivia know exactly how he was feeling.

"We should take this upstairs," he suggested.

His phone started to vibrate in his pocket. "Well, unless that's a vibrator in your pocket, someone's calling you."

Fitz groaned and closed his eyes. He forgot his Mom had told him she'd be calling him later. He assumed it was her calling. It better be, otherwise, someone was getting cursed out for their impeccable timing.

"Go upstairs and wait for me?"

"Sir, yes sir."

Fitz released her wrists and slowly moved off of her. He watched as she walked away, taking off her clothes and leaving them in her wake.

Dammit woman, he thought. You're going to be the death of me one day.

A/N: I honestly have no excuse here. I had started on the update but I was stuck for a long time. Often, I have to step back and wait for inspiration to hit at random. It finally did, but then the semester was ending and I was graduating college so I continued to sit on this update. It's here now. I'm going to stop trying to promise updates. All I can say is I am immediately working on the next one, just don't know when yall will get it especially because I'm going to NY for one of my graduation trips in a week and a half.

I hope yall enjoy this update, because I've been so torn about it. In my head, everything that happened makes sense but I feel like it won't to yall. So please give me feedback if you can! Things are going to progress from here, as I hinted at before. Jake will rear his head soon-ish (sorry) and Olitz will get to spend some time away from campus where anything can happen… As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you share with friends/review/favorite/follow/the whole shebang