Cold outside, while warm and toasty in the house. The usual day outside of downtown Rutland. Everything was decorated sensibly. Past the foyer, stood a large tree — not as glamorous as the spectacle of 1600 Pennsylvania, with oversized specimens of fir — but a fresh one, dressed with gold bulbs and sentimental ornaments. It took several hours to complete, but it looked marvelous. And beyond the tree, Fitz was watching the television intently. He had been sitting on the couch for a while, only getting up to refresh his glass or fill his snack bowl. Reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, he was deep in thought, but would pause to scribble notes.

Finally on a week-long break from work, all he wanted to do was relax. Traveling was a pain, so staying put in one place sounded like a dream. Fitz almost bought out a store's full supply so he could properly furnish the house with Christmas cheer. The visuals were just darling; it made his eyes sparkle, which led to a lump forming in his throat every time he looked around, reminding him of fun winter days with the kids. But now for his first Christmas in Vermont, he wanted everything to look and feel just right.

"Honey, that does not deserve that grade?"

Looking over his shoulder, Fitz gave an intense side-eye. The smirk that he adored, appeared. He was a sucker for Olivia's coy smiles and fiery attitude. That never went away, after ten years of friendship and romance. Turning the paper around, he sassed back, "You look at your own list."

"Don't mind if I do."

Olivia found her way to the recliner, waving a small notepad.

"What movie are you going to watch now?"

Fitz scanned through the available movie titles; three new entries. A few descriptions were downright abysmal. Tacky graphics with a synopsis that could make his head spin in disappointment. But he always went back to watch, because he had to follow through.

"Have you seen this one?"

"No."

"Let's check this one out."

The murmuring of the TV escalated so they could hear the music and dialogue. Since her arrival two days prior, Olivia noticed that Fitz had been consistently watching movies. It was too cold to really do anything. Any time he needed a break, he could flip to the Hallmark channel or Lifetime, and if that didn't suffice, find a selection On Demand.

An hour had passed; Olivia had moved from the La-Z-Boy, to Fitz's side. They were cuddling, halfway covered by a large afghan, amused by some of the scenes, trying not to distract each other too much, with kisses and such. To her, the movie was dragging a bit, and she was ready for a change. Giving his side a playful nudge, she crooned his name.

"Hey! You know the rule, Liv. This is a no-judgment zone, and there's going to be fluff and sap as thick as the syrup outside. When all you do is work and are surrounded by trees, you find a new hobby."

"Watching modern Romance movies?"

"I'll have you know that some of these are quality films. But there are duds, as you can tell from my lineup."

Olivia was honored to feast her eyes upon this "list" - more than 30 titles, with a range of grades from A+ to largely printed "F!"'s, that spanned a five-year-release. When she realized that this was his thing, he was fine with watching together, but wouldn't let her look. Embarrassment or keeping his opinions close to the chest, she couldn't tell, but she was grateful to be allowed to see.

"How many have you watched?"

"Too many," Fitz shrugged.

"Hey, I gave this one a C+ and you wrote down F?" Olivia was feigning offense, waiting for Fitz to respond.

"That plot is too sugary-sweet and unbelievable, and the conflicts came to an end too soon. The leads are attractive, but you can't thrive on looks alone."

"You are too cute."

She caught him rolling his eyes. The passion in his voice, reminding her of those days when she was standing in the back of conference centers and town halls, hearing him talk about his plans for the future. It was good that he was finding something to bring that spark, now that he was hundreds of miles away from the epicenter of politics.

"Liv, you are teasing and I won't accept that."

"But I like seeing you like this. It's endearing," she answered, patting his thigh, which forced a hearty chuckle. "It's another side of you I don't get to see anymore."

"You know I've been doing this for two years, right?"

Olivia did a double take; they knew so much about each other. She knew he liked to watch various genres, and of course, those of the romantic frame of mind would always tug Fitz's heartstrings. But two years? This tidbit, so innocuous and charming, made her feel like shit for not being observant.

"How come I didn't know?"

Fitz took a moment to truly look at her. He thought she was being facetious, but the genuine sweetness in her eyes, made him rethink. He never shared with her because it was his escape.

"They're good distractions. When I wanted to get away from work, or I was sulking about the state of my failing marriage, and worrying about you when you weren't with me, or I don't know, remembering how lonely I was, I could easily turn a movie on. There's a comfort in them, you know? I know that's cheesy, but there's truth to them. Then, I realized the formulas involved with these scripts. It's very fascinating, Livvie. I took notice, then organized criteria for how I would judge them. Where is the conflict? How long until they kiss? Catchy one-liners. Depth of the writing."

"Oh, Fitzy," she let out a sigh. Never in a million years would she think that her guy would be so dedicated about these movies. Sure, they were a highlight for most people, but this precision, and critical eye. She found it quite sexy that he would spend time, dissecting these crowd pleasers, and giving his input.

"You should write a blog, share your thoughts."

Fitz narrowed his eyes, in disbelief. "Give me a break. No one would read it."

"Yes, they would! I know I would read," she exclaimed, eyes wide. "So I would know firsthand, what to and what not to watch."

"I'd have to find a pen name."

"Okay."

"Tommy?"

Olivia shook her head. "Maybe something Californian, like Trey?"

"Falcon."

Fitz nodded slowly, quite impressed with himself. Olivia didn't find it appealing because she knew exactly where that came from.

"Really? That was your name with the Agents!"

His eyebrows lifted in defiance. "So? It's retired. There were a bunch of guys I grew up with, who had 'cool' names. Obviously, mine isn't sexy."

"Yeah, it is," Olivia interjected. "Fucking sexy."

"Okay, well, it wouldn't be just for you. Falcon! I'd be very popular with the ladies. Can't you see it, Livvie? 'Holiday Movies with Falcon.'"

Olivia laughed, "Wouldn't it be cute if the country knew about this secret of yours? 'The softer side of President Fitz Grant'. Yeah, that would be a headliner for sure."

Fitz let out a sigh; he was just getting adjusted with not always being in the spotlight. "There's about 30 minutes left, let's keep watching."

When their schedules didn't allow them to be together for weeks—or months— at a time, he used the movies to dull the pain of her absence. It was his blessing and curse to always have a hopeful spirit about the two of them. After Inauguration, that hope was waning, but the stroke of fate brought them back together, and they were on their way to "normal".

Olivia commented, breaking him out of his thoughts, "I like this part. It's so sweet."

"Yeah."

The duo on-screen had finally determined they were meant for each other, after mixed signals, and overcoming the multiple bouts of miscommunication. A little too close for comfort for Olivia — which could be why he was always drawn to the movies — but it was nice to watch the ending, which was picturesque and included a beautiful kiss.

As the credits rolled, and a serious Fitz was contemplating his verdict, Olivia asked, "Want to take a break and rest your eyes, handsome? Dinner?"

She gingerly removed his glasses, leaning forward to set them on the table, and returning to kiss his forehead and any spots that left pressure marks. She noticed his jaw was clenched, a kiss there. His earlobes and the side vein of his neck — a pair of smooches and nibbles here.

"That would be cool. I could start a fire and we can hang out right here."

Fitz's breath was becoming uneasy and his cerulean eyes were getting darker, because they both knew that an uninterrupted evening together, could lead to some good things.

"I like that too," she agreed.

Title from "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway. The one-shot was inspired by a tweet I saw a few weeks ago from Kiel James Patrick. On my twitter page (loveoverprideFF), you will see it! xo