"I'm Forgiving You…"
Hey guys! I'm sorry for the confusion that last chapter caused, but it was a necessary evil for this one. It was never my intention to make the story complicated and hard to follow. I just wanted it to be a good read. So, there is a short story recap at the bottom. I hope that makes up for the confusion. Moreover, the last chapter was in the present day (in their world not like present day-present day) as well as this one. It picks up with Fitz and Olivia's conversation from the last chapter. Enjoy!
Fitz dialed the number that he had memorized years ago. He drummed his fingers on the table as he waited for her to answer. For the first time in a long time, he was nervous. He could hear his heart beating through his ears. His left leg was twitching, and his mind was going a mile a minute. He glanced down at his note cards and took a deep breath. He quickly ran through the cards to remind himself of the talking points.
Olivia chased after Connor as he ran towards the phone in the hallway. It was getting hard to keep up with the ten year old. Lately, it seemed like he never ran out energy. "Bath and bedtime is going to be a pain, tonight," she thought.
"Hello," answered the little boy enthusiastically and all hyped up on sugar.
Fitz froze for a moment. He checked the number on his screen to make sure that he had dialed the number correctly. It was the right number. "Maybe the Secret Service changed their number for security purposes." He thought.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" asked Connor.
"I'm sorry. I must have dialed the…." started Fitz but stopped when he heard her voice in the background. It was she, and he had the right number. His heart stopped for a moment. Could it really be him?
"Connor!" shouted Olivia as she walked towards the phone. "That is not how we answer the phone." She took a moment to catch her breath. Who knew running to the phone could be such a workout?
The little boy rolled his eyes and apologized. "Sorry mommy." He took a breath and tried again. "Thank you for calling the Shaw residence. Connor speaking, how may I direct your call?"
"Much better," smiled Olivia she grabbed the phone and gave him a kiss. "Now go play! And don't be in there cheating!" She watched as Connor dragged his feet back to the family room after stopping by the coffee table for a piece of candy. Once he was out of sight, she put the phone up to her ear. "This is Olivia,"
Fitz cleared his throat and looked down at his cue card. "Liv, it's me. Did I catch you at a bad time?" He asked as he leaned back in his chair. "I can call back, or you can call me. It doesn't…"
"No…no…no, you're fine," interrupted Olivia. "Just give me a moment to find a quiet place." She searched the front of the house for a quiet spot. "I'm sorry. It's family game night, and we're playing Monopoly, right now. The boys are super competitive just like me, so things can get a little rowdy. I almost lost an eye last week during Charades." She joked as she snuck into the coat closet with the phone. Inside, her heart broke a little, and his did too.
"Oh…" That was all he could muster. He didn't how to respond. She was living a normal life with his boys while his life was in ruins.
She took a seat on the floor of the closet and crossed her legs. "Hi," she smiled. "How are you? I didn't expect to hear from you for a loooongtime." She purposely stressed the long. "But, I'm glad you did. We need to talk…"
Olivia inhale deeply and searched for the right words to say. She thought back to that cold night last December in Vermont…
Four months ago…
Olivia paced around the front porch of the house. She checked her watch again because they should have been there by now. "Maybe the Secret Service couldn't get him to get him on the plane." She thought as she sat down in one of the rocking chairs. Just then, two black SUVs pulled into the drive and Fitz stepped out.
"I'm here." He smiled as walked onto the porch. "God, I've missed you." He took Olivia into his arms and squeezed her tightly. After months of not seeing each other, she was finally his, and he never wanted to let her ago again.
"I've missed you too," whispered Olivia as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. It had been awhile since they spent any time together. "I was afraid you wouldn't come." She snuggled closer to him while he kissed her on the head.
"Liv, I will come any time that you call." He reassured her as he let her go. "So, what am I doing here?" he asked as he looked around. "We are in the middle of nowhere standing in front of a condemned house. Are you trying to kill me?" He teased. "I thought things felt a little off with Tom tonight."
"Cute Fitz. Very cute. But no, you're too special to kill." She answered as she wrapped her arms around his waist and walked into the house. "Anyways, you're here because we bought house," shouted Olivia as they stood in the middle of the living room. She couldn't contain her excitement anymore. "It's finally happening!" Olivia let Fitz go and looked at him. "Jack's term is over, and I don't want spend another day without you."
Fitz spun around and surveyed the house. "What about Congress? You can't run without him. They will kill you on family values…"
"I'm not running anymore. All I need is you, the boys, and love." She reassured him.
He walked over to the fireplace and ran his hand across the dusty mantel before wiping it on the leg of his pants. He removed the sheet from the couch and took a seat. "Our house?" he asked questioningly.
She tried to read his face. "Yes, our house. It was built in the 1920s. It has four bedrooms, three baths. I know it's a little run down, but you always said that you wanted to build something. So, I thought that you could work on it for a few months. You could give it some TLC and fresh coat of paint. Then, we could move in and be normal. I could start my nonprofit, and you could teach again. There's a community college about an hour away. "
"Liv, this needs more than a coat of paint and some TLC. We need a crew. We would have to hire a carpenter, a plumber, and an electrician. It would be a big undertaking…"
"Fitz," She pouted as she walked over to the couch. "It sits on twenty-five acres of land…the biggest plot in town. It's a lot of space. We could add more rooms easily. It even has a shed and pond around back. The shed could be turned into a workspace, and we can add some colorful fish to the pond for the kids. Of course, that's after we replace the beams and drain it. But, it would be amazing." She held her hands out and waited for Fitz to grab them. "We can do this." She encouraged.
"Okay, I'm in." He grabbed her hands, and their bodies crashed into each other. Before he knew it, she was straddling him, and he was palming her ass. "How long do you have?" whispered Fitz as he nibbled on ear.
"Thirty minutes…an hour at the most…I have to call and say goodnight to the boys…" replied Olivia as she unbuckled his belt and stroked his erection.
"That's more than enough time…unless you have another secret to tell." He teased as he fondled her breasts.
Present day…
"Liv, are you there?" asked Fitz bringing her out of her memory.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I zoned out for minute. How are you again?"
"I'm okay." He whispered back. "Just trying to be a better man, which is why I called. I'm making amends."
Olivia closed her eyes and fought back the tears. "Fitz, not again. You were doing so well."
"I know, but it's okay. I've started over, and I'm taking it one day at a time. I'm fine Olivia. Don't worry." Fitz leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. "Anyways, I'm making amends, so…."
"Don't worry. No need to. You never hurt me," She replied as she opened her eyes.
"Oh no, I'm not asking you for forgiveness. I'm giving it."
Olivia was dumbfounded by what he said. "Forgiveness for what?" she asked.
"For Keeping Lewis and Connor a secret," Fitz choked back his tears. "I've decided to forgive you. I can't keep carrying around the anger and resentment that I have for you. It's toxic. It is literally destroying me, so I decided to forgive you. I don't agree with you decision, but I will respect it. If you don't want the boys to know, then I will move on."
"Fitz, I never meant to hurt you. I was only trying to…"
"No…Liv it's fine. Just know, if they ever need anything that I am only one phone call away. I will always be there for them. Goodbye Olivia."
Olivia choked back the tears. She didn't want him to know that after twenty years, his words could still hurt her. "Fitz," she called. "One more thing before you go…who told you? Was it Jack?"
Fitz swallowed and leaned back in his chair. "No, it was Cyrus…but Jack knew?"
"Yeah, he knew. He's known for a while. He found out when Lewis did some blood analysis for a science project. Lewis thought his kit was defective, but Jack knew differently. He confronted me…and we made a deal." She confessed. "If I gave him a biological child, he would keep it…and you…to himself. That's how we got Daniel. He wasn't conceived out of love. It was blackmail," Olivia inhaled deeply and choked back the tears. . "But Cyrus?"
"Yes, it was Cyrus Rutherford Beene, your husband's Chief of Staff.," snorted Fitz. "One weekend, while I was working on the house in Vermont, he stopped by…unannounced. He told me that I was being used. I was a door marked exit for you… and that our love wasn't real. It would never survive outside the bubble. So, I told him that it was real, Nothing could tear us apart, and I welcomed anyone to try. There were no secrets between us." Fitz took a breath to calm himself. Just the memory of that day angered him. "Then, he laughed in my face and said:
'You want a secret. I got a secret. Connor and Lewis are your sons. Yep, they're your blood. Just ask her.'
I was flabbergasted. I didn't know what to say. It was as if time had stopped, and my world started cracking. The next day, I came to the White House, and I asked you about it. God, deep down I hoped it was a lie. But, when I saw your face, I knew it was true, and my world shattered. You took the one thing that I wanted most in life away."
"Fitz, I…"
"It's fine Olivia. I'm letting it go." And with that, Fitz ended the call. The pain was too much. Every time he thought about the years he had lost with them, his heart broke a little more.
Olivia heard the line go dead and started crying. She rubbed her belly in hopes that it would calm her, but it didn't. She gathered herself and returned to the family room. She faked feeling nauseous, so she could excuse herself from the rest of game night. She hurried upstairs, closed the bedroom door, and cried until Jack came in.
Fitz stared at the phone for another minute. He was proud of himself for letting it go. He was tired of the anger and the bitterness. He grabbed his keys and headed out to his AA meeting.
Here's the recap of the major points. Also, to preserve the quality of the story, I've decided to slow it down.
Fitz is married to Mellie. He's a former professor and the chair of his foundation. Mellie is a surgeon and runs a free clinic. They've been married 23 years and have two adoptive kids, Teddy( age 18) and Karen (age 21). He is an alcoholic that is finding his way back. They live in Santa Barbara, California.
Olivia is married to Jack. They've been married fifteen years and have one child together (Daniel age 6). The other kids (Connor, 10 and Lewis, 13) are Fitz's, including the latest pregnancy (4 months along). They live in Rhode Island.
As for the past, Fitz and Olivia met while at Washington-Smith in Connecticut. He was her teacher and advisor.
Cyrus is Cyrus… he's trying to keep Olivia above the fray and his dreams alive. When he found out about her decision to move to Vermont, he dropped the paternity bomb on Fitz and walked away.
Jake is Fitz's brother, and he definitely has feelings for Mellie, but it is unclear if she feels the same way about him.
Olivia made a deal with Jack to protect Fitz and the boys. The deal was he would keep everything a secret if she gave him a biological son.
I think that covers it. If not, let me know, and I will compile a QTNA chapter with your questions.