When Olivia saw the message from Fitz on her phone, sent at 3:30am, she could feel her heart beating against her chest. The same paralysis she had felt other times when speaking with him set in, and she could not call him to tell him to stop nor get out of bed. It was now 9:30am. She hadn't heard any knocking, so he must have changed is mind. If he had really left when he had said he did, he would be here by now. Having somehow convinced herself that this was true, she slowly rolled out of her down-filled bed and started her day.

She examined her face in the bathroom mirror. The puffiness from the pervious day's tears was diminishing, and her eyes were only slightly red from the bottle of wine she had consumed. The hot shower was refreshing, and she dressed in comfortable leggings and oversize sweater. It was still in the 60s in Los Angeles, but she loved her winter clothes and didn't have plans to leave her apartment today. She flipped on the television and began working on reheating some Chinese food she had ordered on Christmas Eve. The perfect breakfast.

Just as she was setting her plate on the coffee table, she heard the knock. Her hands were shaking as she set the food down and walked toward the door. There was another knock. She undid the lock and slowly opened the door, fully expecting to see Fitz standing on her porch.

"Belated Merry Christmas, kid! Smells like kung pao in here. Hope there's some for me," Cyrus said, stepping toward her and hugging her. It was the first time they had hugged. Even after the convention it had been high-fives, handshakes, and half hugs. This was a full-on, two armed bear hug.

Olivia couldn't help but laugh. "I have plenty. I ordered enough to have it around for a few days. And, hello to you too, Cyrus."

He walked past her and immediately Olivia noticed four more beings making their way up the sidewalk on the ground level. Tock, first, walking slowly in front of Fitz who was holding his father's elbow, followed by Eleanor, who was carrying a picnic basket and a bouquet of flowers.

She pet Tock, even bending down to give him a kiss on the cheek which he happily returned. Standing, she met eyes with Fitz.

"Merry Christmas, Olivia. I hope you got my messages. We left as soon as everyone was awake."

"I saw them this morning, or I would have told you not to come," she said honestly.

Fitz starting forming a response, but Olivia put her hand up and stopped him.

"That said, it's nice to see you. All of you. This is quite a surprise."

She leaned over and kissed Tom's cheek. "Merry Christmas, Governor Grant. You're looking well."

"As are you, Olivia. I hope you don't mind us barging in like this. Fitz demanded that we all needed a road trip. Not sure what an old guy like me needs a road trip for, but the scenery wasn't bad, and I have my girl here," he said, nodding at Eleanor.

Olivia stepped around and kissed Eleanor on the cheek, taking the basket from her hands.

"He's having a better day," Eleanor whispered. "It's nice to see you."

"You too," Olivia said, and she found herself hugging this woman who was so kind and giving to Tom and his family. She had a special place in her heart for caregivers like Eleanor.

"Please, please, come in. I think I have just enough seats for all of you." Olivia followed the group and was the last person to enter her apartment. She realized standing on the porch that while a visit from Fitz, and just Fitz, might have been more than she could handle, a visit from this group might be just what she needed to get back to being herself.

Fitz looked around Olivia's apartment. It was small, she hadn't been kidding about that. But it felt like Olivia. Her keys were in a beautiful glass cherry blossom dish, and he imagined she put them there every evening and never misplaced them. She had a small desk with a chair in the living room, along with modestly-sized couch that faced the television. The color scheme – blue, green, grey, yellow – fit. When he thought of Olivia, those colors came to mind. There was a beautiful photograph of old Atlantic City hanging above her desk, and above the couch were photographs of other boardwalks: Ocean City, Maryland, Santa Monica, California, La Prom in Nice, France and what appeared to be someplace in Australia that he didn't recognize. There was a white leather chair, which Cyrus had already taken too, and the kitchen was behind a half wall beyond the hallway. That was all he could see, for now.

The group settled in and starting talking about the weather, their trip down the coast, their holidays. Olivia shared that she had had a quiet day, which was true. As she finished talking about Miracle on 34th Street, she glanced at Fitz who was listening, and watching, intently.

"I noticed your photographs," he said, pointing around the room. "You have a thing for boardwalks, I take it?"

This felt like Monopoly. She could pass go and share, or she could stay on Park Place and skip her turn. The previous 24 hours of her life flashed before her eyes, and she decided to pass go.

"I grew up in New Jersey, and my parents and I spent a lot of afternoons in Atlantic City. I always thought that we would eventually visit other boardwalks since we had so much fun at our own. The photographs aren't mine, I mean, I didn't take them. I haven't been. But they remind me of the feelings I had there, joy, love, excitement. Plus I loved the elephant ears."

She had to take a deep breath when she finished speaking. It was audible, and Fitz gave her a small nod.

"I've never been to Atlantic City," Cyrus said. "Too many people." He was still chewing on what would have been Olivia's breakfast.

"Cyrus Beene, get over yourself. You thrive around too many people," Tom said.

The group laughed at this. Fitz looked at his dad with genuine love. Eleanor looked peaceful as she flipped through a magazine that had been on Olivia's coffee table.

The day unfolded organically. Tom needed a nap, so he used Olivia's guest room, which was really a den that just barely held a day bed. She used it as a place to store clean laundry before she had a chance to fold it. Eleanor used the car to visit her sister, and Cyrus remained in the chair, dozing off while cable news played on mute.

"I have to take Tock for a walk. Care to join us?" Fitz asked.

Passing go. Passing go.

"Sure."

Fitz couldn't mask his surprise, but soon found himself walking side by side with Olivia while Tock smelled all of the new nature at his disposal.

"What is Cyrus even doing here? Wasn't he in Connecticut?" Olivia asked.

"He was. There was some argument on Christmas Eve, he and James decided to leave. I don't know, we haven't talked much about it."

"Who's James?"

Fitz stopped to straighten Tock's collar. "James is Cyrus' boyfriend. Partner. You haven't met James?"

"I, no, I didn't realize he was seeing someone."

"Yeah, they've been together for six, seven years. James works in New York for CBS' news division. Field reporter, staff writer, that kind of thing. It's been hard on them since Cyrus moved out here."

"I can imagine. Well, I can't, actually. I mean, I'm sure it's been difficult."

Fitz laughed.

"That wasn't funny," Olivia said, though she couldn't help but smile.

"Not intentionally. Still funny, though."

They came to the beach path and exchanged a glance that affirmed they were both up for a little more walking. Fitz unhooked Tock's leash and he ran ahead, driven by the salty smell that was growing stronger as they got closer to the Pacific.

"Do you come down here often?" Fitz asked.

"Not really. It's a good 20 minute walk, and I don't always have that kind of time. Plus, at night, I'm not sure I'd want to do it by myself."

"Logical." Fitz said as they reached the opening.

They both looked left and right for Tock, and found him wrestling with some seaweed a few feet from where the waves were slowly rolling onto shore. Olivia laughed.

"He's a doofus. But I love him."

"He's a good dog, I can tell."

"I hoped it would be okay that I brought him. I didn't want to leave him in San Fran indefinitely."

"It's fine, he's always welcome."

The wind blew Olivia's hair in her eyes, so she reached for the elastic around her wrist and put her hair into a pony tail.

"Here we are, at your ocean," Fitz said. "No boardwalk here, though."

"No boardwalk. That's why I have the photographs. Good memories."

"Where's your dad now?"

She knew this was coming. She had mentioned parents, and yet had only ever really spoken about her mother. A deep breath of ocean air, and she looked away from Fitz as she answered.

"He's passed."

"Oh, Olivia, I'm sorry, I didn't realize," Fitz said.

"How would you have realized? Oh wait, that's right, you had someone look into me."

"I had asked, but then after my birthday, I never followed up. I didn't know about your dad. I'm sorry."

"Me too. He died not long after my mother, less than a year."

"Shit. That's, well, that's," Fitz said.

"Shitty?"

They both laughed. Olivia felt the odd dual feeling of a weight being removed from her heart and guilt for allowing it.

"Yes, that it is. I'm sorry you went through that."

"It happens. It happened to me. That's the way I tend to look at it."

"That doesn't make it any less sad. It's not like you deserved it."

"I agree. I don't think anyone deserves it. I sometimes think about my response though, my choices. I was thinking about them last night. I made a decision as a seventh grader that I wouldn't let it get me off track. It didn't, but the track has been solitary. I closed all entrances and exits, stayed on the track while allowing nobody to help. That's why I'm me. That, I deserve."

They had made it to the shore, to Tock. Fitz bent down to clean up some of the seaweed that was stuck around his face. He turned to look at Olivia.

"You deserve to be alone because as a thirteen year old kid you cut yourself off from the world?"

Olivia said nothing. The way he said it sounded so juvenile, immature. That wasn't how she viewed it all. But wasn't it the truth, just simplified?

"I'm not sure it's that simple. But yeah, I mean, I'm me because of what I did. How I responded. How I proceeded. That's a fact."

"True, but your parents died. That's devastating. I don't think you should hold yourself to the rules you set ten years ago based on some principle in your mind."

Olivia's eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to make you cry, shit," Fitz said, wiping his hands on his jeans. He stepped toward her, outstretching is arms. Olivia retreated.

"You're right. It is devastating. I don't usually allow myself to use words like that. But yesterday, Christmas, you know, it's more present than it usually is."

Fitz took a hint and aborted his plan to hug her. Hold her. He crossed his arms and just looked at her.

"You know, my mom died here."

"What?" Olivia said, wiping her tears.

"Not here, like in this very spot. But she died in the ocean when I was just about two years old. She fell off of a boat and by the time anyone realized it, she was gone."

"Fitz, my god, that's awful. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I've had 33 years to process it, and I barely knew her. But your comment about the thoughts of your parents being more present today than other days made me think. I might not think about my mom every day, in fact I probably don't think about her enough. But she's always here." He touched his heart. "She always present, if I want her to be."

Olivia whispered something that was inaudible because of the ocean. Fitz asked her to repeat it.

"Does it help, to keep her close?"

"It does. Especially now, with my dad. I've always had him pushing me forward, whether I liked it or not. It's odd to have our relationship shift. Thinking about my mom, doing things to make her proud, it does help to keep her somewhere I can feel."

This approach was the exact opposite of how Olivia had lived her life. They both knew it. She shivered.

"Let's head back. Tock! Come on, boy." Instinctively, he put his arm around Olivia's waist and started to lead her toward the sidewalk. She didn't stop him, but she her body was tense. He mind was racing. Fitz could tell, so he just left his arm barely touching her back as three of them walked, or trotted, in Tock's case, back to Olivia's apartment.