Freedom. That's what every man, every woman, every living being wants in this life. That's what Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III wanted when he left his Santa Monica home.
Since the day he was born, his father had planned his life. Fitzgerald Thomas Grant Jr.- or Gerry, as most knew him- had big plans for his son and he was willing to do damn near anything to see his plans through. "My son will be President of the United States one day." That's what Gerry would tell anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck in conversation with him. For twenty-five years it was about what Gerry wanted, and that's when Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III finally ceased to exist.
Fitz, a nickname he would have never chosen for himself but he learned to deal with, finally got out from underneath the thumb of his father. Of course, it didn't go as simply or as quickly as he would have liked but he finally managed it. Now, no one knew who he was. For the first time in now thirty-two years, Fitz was living the life of a simple man. Here, in a small town in Colorado where no one knows his real name he is the happiest he has ever been. Here he is simply Thomas, the diner owner, and friendly neighbor. It's a sanctuary. It's home.
Freedom is what Olivia Pope was searching for. After the death of her mother, she had never felt more alone. That was eight years ago, and for eight years Olivia had been yearning to be on her own for good. Yes, her father supported her financially. Eli Pope always provided, he always made sure she was in the best schools and had the best tutors but he stopped being a father the day he lost his wife.
Olivia would never blame her father for turning to the dark the way he did, but it didn't change the fact that a young girl needs love. She longed for it for years until she realized that her happiness would have to come from success. That's how she graduated from Brown University and Georgetown Law by age twenty. It was her escape, it was her way out.
When one of her former professors, Cyrus Beene, approached her with a job opportunity, she never expected it would lead her to one of the most powerful families on the West Coast.
She sat in her brand-new D.C. apartment, sifting through emails and offer letters when her phone rang. With a glance at the screen, she had to smile. Cyrus. Cyrus was a professor during her freshman year at Brown and he instantly became her mentor. Cyrus saw the fire in her; he knew that she would be great one day and he did everything he could to help her be the most successful student she could be.
"Cyrus! To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Liv, I need a favor. No, no it's not a favor really, I have a job for you." He was stressed, she always knew he was stressed when he started rambling.
"What kind of job, Cy? I'm currently going through many job offers so you better have something good to offer me."
"You want to be a fixer, right? Well, this is your opening. Senator Grant needs someone to help track down his son. I know it sounds a bit ridiculous now but this can lead to a lot more, Liv. If you can help us track him down, I can bring you on as his co-campaign manager in his run for Governor."
It was far from the request she had expected to get from him. She was a board-certified lawyer, not a babysitter, for crying out loud. But he was right. She had always been more interested in working for herself. She became a lawyer because the information and power would give her a leg up as a fixer in the political capital of the world. Senator Grant, the Senator of California, was a powerful man. She knew plenty about him and quite frankly couldn't stand him.
For one, he was a die-hard Republican. Even looking past that, which she found hard to do, he was simply an ass. A political genius? Yes. She would be lying if she said she didn't admire him to a point, he was ruthless and knew how to win. At the end of the day though, she would never want to sit down with him for a meal or drink.
"Cy, that's not exactly what I'm trying to do with my life. I'm not a babysitter, I am not a bounty hunter. I want to get into a law firm, or work for a fixer because that's who I am."
"Liv, I get it. I know this isn't a typical request. But it's a start and it will get your name out there. You'll be the best crisis manager out there, so start here. Help me fix this crisis" There was a pause before the never-one-to-beg, Cyrus Beene, finally continued, "Please, Liv. I need this."
Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe this could be her first job as a fixer and set her career in motion. Either way, it was a paycheck and it was experience.
"Fine, I'll do it." She sat back and took a sip of her wine. She couldn't help but wonder if this was the right decision, but she was going to give it a shot. It sounded simple enough, find a spoiled rich kid and return him to his father. What could possibly go wrong?
"Great! By the way, I know it's a trek but you'll have to drive out for a meeting with Senator Grant. He will be at a conference next week and would like you to meet him there. I know, it's a long drive but if we get word on Fitzgerald's location we want you to be able to detour quickly. The senator will have all of the information you need, including photos, at your meeting. Thanks, Liv!"
Before she could even process the absurdity of the request, the line was disconnected and all she could do was sit in disbelief. Her phone dinged with the information for her meeting. 10 days. She had 10 days to get to Colorado so for now she would try to find any information she could on Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III.
She spent the rest of that night and the following day researching like her life depended on it. She my not have had many contacts yet but she utilized every one she did have. Nearly a hundred phone calls and google searches later, she couldn't even find so much as a photo of Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III.
At some point there had been articles about him, that much she was sure of. But now it was obvious that someone made sure any trace of this man was erased from the public. She was able to deduce that he had some kind of military experience, but there was no information on the extent of that experience.
How was it possible that the son of the most powerful man in California was a ghost? The Grant family had been a California staple for years, yet the youngest Grant man was non-existent. There were some family photos from when he was a child, but it wasn't enough to help her now.
Who was this man that she was tasked to find? Why was he such a secret to the world? And who worked so hard to make sure he remained a ghost?
Her mind raced for hours that night. Tomorrow she would be loading up her car to make the day long trip to Colorado- yes she would be nearly a week early for her meeting but she wanted to be prepared. Olivia Pope was never late and never unprepared, this time would be no different. There were questions though, so many questions that she wasn't sure she would be allowed to ask when she met the senator.
Did the senator cover up the existence of his son? Or did Fitzgerald cover his tracks when he left? Is that why the senator is looking for him now?
Maybe she didn't have the right to ask these questions. Maybe the answers weren't for her to know. But when it came to her career, even in its infancy, her first rule was no lies. She couldn't fix a problem if her client lied to her about anything which meant that Senator Grant was going to have to face her with complete honesty.
Spring time in Colorado never failed to bring Fitz joy. There was something about the rain bringing life to the blooming trees and flowers reminded him he was where he meant to be. Today was the first day of spring break for the local children which meant despite the oncoming downpour outside his diner was packed full of school kids and their families for breakfast.
Days like these are why he loved this job. Sure, it was simply taking, cooking, and delivering orders but it was his. The people here knew him as Thomas, they knew nothing about his past and they loved him. That's what he had needed his whole life. He needed the community that this little town brought him.
"Good morning, Thomas!" Fitz smiled at the young lady that sat down at his bar. Every morning, seven o'clock sharp, Amanda walked into his diner. She was pretty, a blonde just a few years younger than him and since they first met she has made her intentions very clear. He wasn't interested though, he didn't come here to find love and he was content being alone here.
"Amanda, good morning. Coffee and the usual?" He cracked her a smile, a real smile but there was always something missing from it.
No matter how happy he was in this life, there was always a feeling of something missing. He wasn't completely fulfilled. Maybe it's because of his childhood, maybe some therapist somewhere could unbox him while he laid on a cheap leather couch, but for now he was happy being content.
Hours upon hours of the same thing. Typical chat filled with "how are you?" and "what's new?" as if anyone's personal business was a big secret in this town. Fitz took orders, the same way he always did for the last five years and occasionally popped back into the kitchen throughout the day.
It was finally time for closing after a busy day. He always did enjoy the time kids were out of school, it meant more business and it meant more time he could spend watching families be families. It was a dream he had for himself, to one day find the perfect wife and fill a house with children. As he stood there, watching the rain fall through the window he let his mind wander to that future.
He had many opportunities to find love. Several presented themselves while he was in the Navy, of course every pretty and naive young woman wanted a pilot. Many of his friends took full advantage of the women throwing themselves at them, but it just wasn't for Fitz. Maybe he was a hopeless romantic but he believed that one day his perfect woman was out there, and until he found her he didn't see the point in throwing himself around.
Amanda had made several passes at him, and several times Fitz had respectfully denied her. It didn't stop her from flirting and he was flattered, but she just wasn't the one for him.
One day he would have the future he wanted. He would meet a woman he could be himself with. He would be able to be Fitz again without fear of disappointing the people around him because he would be loved unconditionally. They, Fitz and his future wife, would have a home in a town just like this. They would have kids and he would coach their soccer teams or baseball teams, his wife would always back the best snacks. That was the future he saw for himself.
One day he would have it all.
His thoughts were broken by the sound of the bell chiming on the front door of the diner. It was nearly ten o'clock, everyone in town knew he was closing down and the only people still out at this time were at the local bar. He couldn't remember the last time someone had walked into his diner at a time like this and in a rainstorm no less.
"I'm sorry, we're closed." He dropped his arms to his side and turned towards the stranger that interrupted his daydreaming.
She was sopping wet, from the rain no doubt. But beyond that, she was simply breathtaking. She was beyond description because all he could do in this moment was watch her.
"I'm sorry, my car broke down a couple miles away and your sign still says open. I just need to borrow a phone, or find a hotel nearby if that's okay?" She was too busy shrugging out of her wet coat to see the man that was watching her. She was too busy trying to figure out what the hell she was going to do about her broken down car in this tiny, quiet town that didn't seem to have a decent hotel anywhere for miles.
Finally she looked up and saw him. He was tall, very tall. His appearance matched exactly the kind of town she thought she was in. From his flannel shirt to his visibly thick and curly hair tucked into a backwards baseball cap. He was casual, yet breathtaking. And his voice, his voice was the kind of sultry and smooth that made her feel more safe with a stranger than she should.
"Hi," was all she could let out as his sharp blue eyes met her dark brown.
"Hi."