"Hello Karen. You look beautiful today."
"Thank you Doctor Weaver." Karen responded with a small smile. It had only been a week since Olivia picked her up from the police station, but she finally felt like her world had stopped spinning. Whether it was her long walks with her father through the Vermont trails or watching her baby sister be entertained by something as simple as a ball, she felt closer and closer to a new normal. One she could happily live in.
Her days were simple. Every morning began waking up to the sweet aroma of Nanny Dorin's amazing breakfast spread. She would patter down the hall and make her way to the living room, where her half-sister would be perched in her Exersaucer while her step-mother furiously typed away on her laptop. Her father cooked alongside Dorin, but while he was eager to learn, usually ended up becoming a nuisance. Not wanting to disturb the peace, she would walk over to the K-Cup machine and pour herself a Café Mocha before making her way out onto the patio. She loved the way the warm stone felt against her bare feet as she made her way to her favorite chair.
Karen would always struggle with her inner demons. They had always been beneath the surface, threatening to explode out of her. It was a relatively easy thing to hide from her parents as she was at boarding school for most of her life. But she could never hide anything from one person.
Jerry.
He was always her knight in shining armor. They were the Grant duo. Everyone at boarding school knew not to mess with her or they'd face the wrath of Jerry Grant. No matter how much their parents fought or what school they were sent to, they had always stuck together. Accepting the fact that he was gone was the hardest thing she ever had to do. For months she tried to convince herself that he was off at college and would come visit soon. The hardest part of the grieving process was that she had no one to mourn with. She was at Jerry's funeral and back to school she went. Everything about her family life was so systematic and calculated. She knew her father and mother did not mean for it to be that way, but they had spent so many years holding up the charade that they did not realize how damaging it was.
Nothing about her father and Olivia was methodical. Every day had its routine, but she never felt like she was going through the motions when living with them. Some days her stepmother would take Isabella to Mommy-And-Me classes, other days her father would take them out for dinner. It was simple, yet charming. And whenever she looked over at her father and stepmother, they had a glint in their eyes that she thought only existed in movies. She had never seen two people more in love in her entire life.
And she understood.
"What's on your mind Karen?" Dr. Weaver kindly asked, breaking her out of her trance. Karen slightly adjusted herself on the blue couch to get more comfortable.
"Well, my stepmother Olivia is hosting a ball tomorrow to kick off the start of her new foundation, Leaders Of Tomorrow. She hasn't asked me to go because she doesn't want me to think that she wants me there as an ornament on her tree. She knows that's how I've felt for so many years, especially during my father's Presidency." She took a deep sigh.
"I want to go to the ball. I know there will be media scrutinizing me for my dress and speculating why I am not at Wellesley. But I owe this to Liv and know I can handle it." Dr. Weaver smiled.
"For sure you can. I think Olivia would be deeply touched that you want to support her." The doctor replied with a smile. Karen pressed her palms against her knees.
"I wasn't there when she and my Dad got married. I didn't visit her in the hospital after she had Isabella. I want to be there this time." Dr. Weaver clasped her hands together.
"Well, you're going to need a grand ball gown then. You should be on your way." Karen looked down at her phone.
"But we're fifteen minutes early." She murmured, looking back up at her therapist.
"I will see you tomorrow morning, hopefully with pictures of you in your dress." Karen smiled and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you Dr. Weaver. I appreciate it."
"You're a good kid Karen. I've only been with you for a week and you're already making positive progress." Karen nodded as she made her way to the door.
"Small steps." She murmured, pausing at the door. She smiled to herself and pushed it open, following Hal to the town car waiting for her outside.
Olivia Pope was stressed. When she was frazzled, everyone had to pay for it.
"Abby, why don't I have the finalized guest list in my hands?" She boomed, pacing around her desk. They were getting closer and closer to the kickoff of the year, yet she felt like they were anything but prepared.
"We want to ensure that everyone's flights, trains, and taxis are on-time to ensure the list is 100% accurate." Abby replied immediately, used to her best friend's persona under pressure.
"You can't yell at a pregnant lady!" Quinn prodded, leaning back in Olivia's black swivel chair. Abby placed her hand on her stomach and sighed.
"I second that. Stress her out too much and she might have the baby on your rug." David joked sarcastically. "Oh wait!" He dropped Isabella between his wife's legs to stimulate his scenario. The baby roared with laughter as he swooped her back up to toss her in the air. Her giggles put Olivia's nerves at bay.
"Give me my child before you cause me more ogeda." Olivia demanded with a sigh, reaching out for her daughter. David placed her in her awaiting arms and she immediately snuggled into the crook of her mother's neck. Olivia started pacing around her desk but suddenly stopped abruptly. She slowly rose her hand to rest on her daughter's forehead. She closed her eyes for a moment before looking down at the baby in her arms.
"She feels warm." She murmured, brushing the curls away from her tiny face.
"Has she been acting weird?" Abby asked, approaching them.
"She didn't sleep too well last night, but she definitely wasn't running a fever this morning." Olivia said with a sigh. She called out for Nanny Dorin, who was immediately bursting through the door.
"Dorin please call Dr. Stone and tell him we're on the move. When Fitz and Karen come home, tell them it's nothing major." Dorin nodded and was out the door in a flash. Olivia walked over to her coat rack to grab her green purse.
"Abby, Quinn, push to get everyone's transportation statuses confirmed. When Huck gets back from the security briefing, the three of you go over to the Marriot to make sure everything is going smoothly. Rosalie should already be there monitoring it, but I want everything to be seamless. Understood?"
"Yes m'am." Quinn responded, going back to her laptop. Olivia turned and looked at David.
"You, don't be a distraction. My Gladiators are at work." She commanded, throwing her purse over the opposite shoulder. She quickly exited her room and made her way out to the awaiting town car, saying silent prayers that this would not throw a wrench in her plans.
"I didn't know we were going out to lunch today. I thought with the ball coming up and everything you'd be at home working." Fitz shook his head.
"Liv was okay with it. Most of my work is done. Plus it's better that I leave her alone to simmer down. Different people handle stress in various ways. You let her have her space until she's calm enough to accept your embrace." Karen nodded as the waiter came over and gave them their salads. It was a beautiful summer day. She hoped the weather would carry over into tomorrow.
"Dad, I want to ask you something." She said, putting her napkin on her lap.
"Go ahead." He replied, chewing on a crouton.
"I want to come support you and Olivia tomorrow at the Leaders of Tomorrow kickoff." She murmured. He looked at her expectantly, as if there was more to say. She smiled.
"I'm serious. I know I haven't been fair to you and Liv since you've been married; I was wrong. I see how happy she makes you and honestly even though I haven't lived in Vermont for long I'm feeling better than I have in a while. She hasn't asked me to come because I know she doesn't want me to get the wrong idea, but I want to."
"What about the paparazzi, there's going to be a lot of pressure-"
"I know what I'm getting into Dad. I've thought it all out and ran it by Dr. Weaver this morning. She says it would be a step in the right direction for me." Fitz reached across the table and squeezed her hand lightly.
"Thank you Kare bear. This means a lot to me, and I know it will mean a lot to Olivia." She squeezed his hand back.
"Small steps." She murmured. He brought his hand back to rest on his lap and smiled at her.
"But you know you're going to have to buck up to buy me a ravishing dress." She gushed, batting her eyes. The two laughed and for the first time in a while felt genuinely like father and daughter.
"Hold still Miss Grant." Dr. Stone cooed, trying to place a thermometer in Isabella's underarm. The baby was not having any of it, squirming in her mother's arms and screaming. Olivia had tried everything: car keys, balls, Piglet; nothing was working. To get an accurate reading, she was going to have to calm her down.
"Any other methods of attack?" Dr. Stone asked her with a small smile. Olivia sighed helplessly.
"Sedate her?" She asked sarcastically. Dr. Stone laughed.
"It looks like you are the one that needs sedating." He joked, rolling over to look at Isabella's chart to give her some time to calm down. Olivia bounced her up and down and rubbed her back.
"I have my big foundation kickoff tomorrow, so I'm under a lot of stress. You can imagine I wasn't so pleased to find her head to be hot."
"I'm certain you weren't." Olivia flipped Isabella around to press her to her chest as her cries quieted down.
"Thank you for taking us so quickly. I think I would have been in a hospital bed with Xanax coursing through my veins if we didn't have you."
"Anything for President Grant and his lovely family." He replied with a smile.
"Absolutely anything?" A voice murmured. Olivia looked up to see her husband standing in the doorway. He made his way over to the examination table and hopped up to sit next to his wife and daughter.
"Nice to see you Mr. President." Dr. Stone greeted, holding his hand out to shake. Olivia watched them shake hands before addressing her husband.
"I told Dorin to tell you that it wasn't serious." She said, looking up into his eyes. He kissed her gently on the lips and looked down at the baby in her arms.
"Serious or not serious, I wanted to make sure that both of my girls were okay." He responded with a small smile.
"Barely." Olivia muttered under her breath, continuing to bob Isabella up and down. The small baby looked up at her father intently.
"We've been having a little trouble getting her to allow me to get her temperature. Maybe if she sits on her father's lap she'd be okay?" Dr. Stone asked. Olivia handed her over to Fitz.
"It's worth a try." Olivia agreed, watching closely as the pediatrician rolled over to Isabella with the ominous looking contraption in his hand. Isabella eyed it closely, and she thought that they were going to have to resort to pinning her down. Shockingly, she barely flinched when its cool tip was placed under her arm and nestled herself into Fitz's Quicksilver tee. Typical, Olivia thought, rubbing her temples with her tired fingers. Her daughter was such a Daddy's girl. After a few moments, the thermometer beeped. Dr. Stone examined the results and rolled back over to his desk.
"It looks like Miss Isabella has a fever. When I checked her ears earlier I saw no signs of clogging or infection. It should break after tonight, but she is probably going to be a little irritable and tired over the next couple of days. I will prescribe her an antibiotic that I can have delivered to your door in time for bed tonight. Just watch her closely and if her temperature rises, bring her right back here."
"Got it." Fitz said, kissing the top of Isabella's curly head. He and Olivia watched as her eyes gently closed as she settled against her father's chest. Dr. Stone handed Olivia the prescription which she tucked into her purse.
"Thanks again Dr. Stone. We really appreciate it." Olivia said with a smile. He nodded.
"If you need anything, give me a call. No matter what hour." He gently rubbed Isabella's back before exiting the examination room with her files. Fitz turned to Olivia.
"What do you say we go home, put her to bed, and get in the bath?" He asked, putting his hand on her knee. She shivered as it made its way up her leg.
"Fitz, I have work to do." He leaned over and kissed her behind her ear, which always managed to drive her crazy.
"You need to unwind or else you're going to crash." He whispered hotly into her ear. She pushed his hand away and hopped off of the table.
"I'm not getting steamy in the shower with you while my friends are here working hard for us." She placed Isabella's car seat on the table and reached over to transfer her. She managed to get the sleeping baby in her car seat without the smallest hint of stirring.
"Daddy's girl." Fitz said proudly, hopping off the table.
"Just like her Momma." He whispered in her ear, moving his hands down towards the point of no return. Just as she went to turn around to capture his lips in hers, he picked up the carrier and walked out the door, Secret Service following swiftly behind him. Olivia rolled her eyes and sighed.
This was going to be the longest day ever.
By 10 o'clock, everything had finally settled down. All of the guests were tucked away in their respective suites. Isabella had been medicated and was down for the night. The only sound that could be heard was Olivia's furious typing.
To say she was nervous about the ball was an understatement. She was petrified. Not because she didn't believe it would go without a hitch. She knew with her planning and her friends backing her up that it would be all anyone would talk about for the next month.
But that was exactly the point. People talking.
Since their wedding almost two years ago, Fitz and Olivia had attended events together, but only sparingly, especially when they fell pregnant. This wouldn't be the first time they were seen out in public together, but this was the first time they would be officially reentering the political stage as a couple. They were going to be the center of attention.
A part of her ached for Isabella. Would she grow up getting teased and tortured for being the mistress' daughter? Could Olivia ensure that her daughter's life could flow freely without her past getting wrapped up in it? These questions had plagued her during her pregnancy and now worse than ever. She had always thought that hiding in Vermont would be the safest option, but why should she be forced into exile? She was a brilliant political mind, had an amazing husband by her side who had bettered his country. Just because they were not a by-the-book family did not mean that they had to hide. It wouldn't be easy, but in the end she hoped it would all be worth it.
"Liv?" A small voice called. After a small knock at the door, the girl came in.
"Hi Karen." Olivia greeted, moving her laptop aside. She adjusted Fitz's Navy sweatshirt as she waited for Karen to speak.
"I talked about this with my father already, but I am attending the ball tomorrow. After all of the things I missed out on, the least I could do is show up to support you and my Dad." Olivia smiled softly.
"Thank you Karen. That means a lot to me." Karen took a couple of steps towards her desk.
"I just want to thank you for taking me under your wing. I've only been here a week but I feel like I'm making real progress. I know you're also stressing about telling my mom about me, but you don't have to worry. I'll handle that later." Olivia nodded. That had been keeping her up at night on top of everything else.
"Tomorrow is about you and my Dad and the amazing foundation you've worked so hard to create together. Remember that." Olivia rose and enveloped her in a big hug. Karen hugged her tightly back. When they pulled away, Karen noticed Olivia was crying.
"I really do appreciate this Karen." She murmured. Karen could never recall ever seeing her so visibly emotional before. She awkwardly smiled and turned to leave.
"Of course." She said before exiting, walking down the hallway towards her room. Olivia looked at her laptop and sighed. There was always work to be done, but right now she needed to be in the arms of her husband. She shut the laptop gently and made her way towards the master bedroom.
When she entered, Fitz was on his iPad reviewing the final guest list. She smiled and closed the door gently behind her.
"I can't believe Brad and Angelina are actually coming. Is it sad I'm more excited about them than I am about the Royals?" Olivia laughed softly and climbed into bed next to him.
"Just a little." She murmured, wrapping her arm across his chest and resting her leg in between his. He placed his iPad on the end table next to him and kissed the top of her head.
"Karen told me she's coming tomorrow. I honestly can't believe it." She said into his chest.
"I was surprised when she told me too. You know I feel guilty for sending her away for all of those years. I think all she ever needed was a stable home." Olivia rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him.
"It's not your fault Fitz. So many things piled on top of each other and it became all too much for her. We'll help her walk through this together. What's passed is in the past." He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms tighter around her.
"I love you a lot. You know that?" He asked. She nodded into his chest.
"I love you too. Thank you for being so supportive with this all." He rubbed her arm.
"You don't have to thank me. It's going to be an amazing night tomorrow." He felt her smile against his shirt.
"It is." She breathed. She fell asleep to the rhythm of his heart and the soft inhales and exhales of the baby in the bassinette next to their bed. She knew that no matter what, she would always have him by her side. That was always enough to quiet the voices in her head and the thoughts that ran ramped. Even though she could fall asleep, Fitz stayed wide awake, excited about the surprise he had in store for his wife tomorrow.
"Goodnight my doux bébé." He whispered before shutting off the light.
I know I said the LOT ball was going to be this chapter, but I felt like we needed a little bit of a filler beforehand. I hope you liked it nonetheless, and I'm going to be writing a lot of updates during Spring Break so stay tuned!
HOW. ABOUT. THAT. EPISODE? Had to throw that last part in there ;) If you haven't seen my 4x17 review and live reaction reel, it's so worth seeing. Just go to my YouTube channel AleccaOfficial to watch it! I also have a Crazy In Love Olitz video up on my fanvidding YouTube (xUltraVioletBlur), so check that out as well.
Reviews are always appreciated. Thank you all for the support!
Much love,
B
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