A/N: Alright, day one of the lockdown and I'm losing my mind. I did survive Toilet Paper Gate. Anyways, I was bored and so I decided to organise some of my files.

I found this piece here. It's a sort of 'deleted scene' from the last chapter. On a reread, I found that I actually liked it and couldn't remember why I cute it to begin with.

Anyways, here you are. Something cute for all the babes in lockdown and taking cover from the coronavirus. Stay safe, stay clean! Wash your hands, wipe your

purses/phones/briefcases and keep your head up! This is definitely not my last update in all of this disaster.

-M

He watches as her chest rises and falls. Even in sleep, the knot between her eyebrows is prominent. Even in sleep, she doesn't relax. Fitz's stomach tightens, his only thought is that he's caused this mess. Her father is right. If only I'd kept my pants zipped.

"Father."

Fitz turns his head to find Eli behind him. He turns his attention away from Olivia's sleeping form towards her father. "Please, call me Fitz."

"Father Fitzgerald," Eli says.

Jaw tightening, Fitz speaks, "Just Fitz."

"Why? Your title is Fath—"

"No. It's not. I left two weeks ago. For her. I made the decision before everything came to a head to walk away. I owed it to her," He turns back, eyes falling on Olivia.

Eli rubs his chin, scratching his knuckles along the bit of razor stubble. He shakes his head, clicking his tongue and then sighs. "Tell me. If your daughter was still here and a man who is seventeen years her senior, who has an entire life that isn't built for her. A man despite what he says, you cannot be certain he means because if he could break a vow to God, what reason does he have to be faithful to your daughter?"

Each word is a kick to the ribs, causing Fitz to pause. He feels his chest tighten and his mouth goes dry. There's some wait to his words but the mention of his daughter nearly double over. He doesn't know what he'd be doing if Karen were still here. Especially if she were dating. She'd be fifteen now. Probably running around with a boy Fitz didn't care for. Maybe even a girl. Jerry would be going on twelve. Maybe he played baseball and maybe he played basketball. And Mellie… "Please don't talk about my children. I want for them to rest."

"You must admit, Fitz that you'd be concerned for your daughter if she was where Olivia is."

"I would," Fitz answers, finally turning around, "but I would also trust my daughter to make a good decision for herself."

"You have to admit that she hasn't had a great deal of luck doing that for herself." Eli folds his arms across his chest, almost as if he's won the conversation.

And Fitz must admit, it almost works. He almost wants to line himself up with the rest of the men who've taken advantage of Olivia bur refuses. With determination and conviction in tone, Fitz speaks, "She's the love of my life. She is my life. I know we're unconventional. I'm seventeen years her senior and she's had issues with men of my stature in the past, but I don't care. I don't. I love her and one day she will be my wife."

"What?" Fitz turns his head to find Olivia, hair crumpled, clothes wrinkled, and eyes watering. She looked at him with her bottom lip trembling, sniffling. He didn't know how long she'd been listening, how long she was up.

"Livvie," Fitz says. Uncertain of where he's going. "I—"

"Did you mean it?" she asks, rubbing at her eyes. "What you said about being your life? About wanting to marry me?"

She looks so small; Fitz has to fight the urge to wrap her in a sideways hug. "I did. Olivia, I love you. I choose you and I want us to figure out how the hell to get out of this together. "You're it for me. It's been a long while before I could say this again, but I want you, Livvie. Me, you, maybe a little Olivia or Oliver down the road. I'll sort this out."

Olivia fidgets, tears spill down her cheeks. His heartbreaks at the sight, but seconds later she's in his arms. Wrapped around his waist, tears soaking into his shirt.

She holds onto him and he keeps his arms wrapped around her. She's saying something, something into his chest. Olivia pulls back and gives him a half, slightly watery smile. Her cheeks are dewy. "You're it for me, too," she says, sniffling.

Some of the pressure in Fitz's chest abate. He understands Elijah Pope's protectiveness. He understands it as a father and as a man, but he can't help how he feels. He knows somewhere in his mind – somewhere in the small part of his brain that Olivia's yet to reach – that he's being selfish by tying her life to his. But he can't help it. He's waited so long for Olivia to come along. So. Damn. Long.

The sound of Eli clearing his throat beaks them apart. Olivia lifts her head and moves to take a step back, but Fitz doesn't let her. He holds her tighter.

"What do you want from me? Do you want me to tell you that this is okay? To give you my blessing? I don't know if I can do that. I can't stand the thought of someone else taking advantage of my daughter. I can't." Eli sighs.

Clearly the old man has made up his mind.

"Dad," Olivia speaks. Her voice is still unsteady. "Daddy, I know you're worried about me. And you should be. I've messed up in the past. But I love Fitz. I'm in love with him."

He feels a lump form in his throat, one he isn't sure how to get around because getting around it means he's used to hearing it. He wants each time she says it so be sweeter than the last. He wants this new, full feeling; no, he craves it. Fitz takes a deep breath. "I meant everything I said. I will marry you one day, Olivia. One day when you are ready, I will marry you."

Again, Eli clears his throat. He shakes his head. "We can deal with this later, right now we have more important things to discuss."

It isn't the answer that Fitz is looking for, but he supposes that lukewarm acceptance is better than ice cold outright rejection. It was about time that this conversation was had between he, Eli, and Olivia. There's still more to say, more that he's afraid it will sour this silent stalemate he and Eli have come to for now.