A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews and favorites they're truly appreciated. Welcome new followers. Hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Will be mostly Fitz centric and his POV.

Flashback: A little over four years ago.

Fitz and Olivia had just returned from the movies and were settling into Fitz' apartment. Since it was already late they were getting ready for bed. They brushed their teeth before moving into his bedroom. Fitz was watching as Olivia shyly stripped down from her date night clothes, slowly peeling off her jeans first and then moving to the yellow tank top she wore. She was still shy around him even though they had been intimate quite a few times.

Smirking at her timidity Fitz turned his back to offer her a few moments of privacy. He continued to unashamedly strip down leaving himself in only a pair of black boxer briefs. He walked with his discarded clothes to the empty chair in the corner of his room and laid them neatly on top of it – fighting the urge to toss them carelessly onto the floor as he normally did, since he was still trying to impress Olivia.

"Can I look now?" He teased, his back still to her.

"Shut up," Olivia replied, good-naturedly. "You can."

Fitz took that as his cue to turn around; he found her already between the cotton sheets of his queen sized bed grinning at him. Since having a serious girlfriend Fitz took time and money to buy nicer sheets and towel. He wanted to make her as comfortable as possible when she stayed at him because she deserved to be treated like a princess. He was still in shock that a girl like her would fall for a guy like him and he planned on keeping it that way.

In one swooping motion he began moving his legs over to the bed and once there, climbed in beside her underneath the cool cover.

"Hi," he greeted, when his face was a mere few centimeters away from hers.

"Hi," she breathed, exhaling her minty breath into the air.

They smiled shyly at each other and settled into the other's presence.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered and she blushed. "I'm serious, you're really beautiful and I've never felt the way I feel for you with anyone else." He sounded like a four year old with a crush but he couldn't help himself. She brought out these feelings from inside of him that makes him want to gush.

"I feel the same way," she confessed shyly.

Fitz smiled; grateful that he was her first major relationship, first guy she'd had sex with and first guy to love. It made him feel special and he basked in such feelings.

He intertwined their fingers together and moved them above their sheet-covered bodies. In the dim light of his beige color, sparsely decorated room Fitz admired the way her brown, dainty hand fit between his large, creamy colored, manly one.

"So…" Fitz began. "When am I going to meet your parents?" It had been on his mind for a while now, especially since things between them were getting serious. After all it had been close to eight months since they started their relationship; and besides the fact that Olivia had met his mother on numerous occasions.

"I… uh…" Olivia stuttered. Fitz sat up, bracing his back on the wooden backboard of the bed.

"Are you ashamed of me?" Fitz asked, the first thing that came to his mind, afraid of what her answer might be.

"No. Of course not!" she quickly answered.

"Then why haven't I met your parents or any of your friends as yet?" He asked, arching a questioning eyebrow at her.

"It's not that simple, Fitz." Olivia tried to reason.

"It should be that simple. If you love me then you shouldn't –"

"Fitz…" Olivia interrupted, sitting up and began planting soft kisses on his neck and cheeks.

"No," Fitz turned his face away from her assaults, knowing exactly what she was trying to do. Distract him.

Olivia huffed when her attempts at seduction was futile.

"Why am I not allowed to meet your family, Olivia?" He watched as several different emotions ran across her face before she finally answered him.

"Does next Saturday work for you?" her voice was low when she asked.

He studied her face; she looked both relieved and apprehensive. He nodded his head and then hugged her.

Present Day

Fitz snapped himself from out of his thoughts and refocused his attention on the textbook he was reading in preparation for one of his midterm tests. He didn't know why all of these past memories were plaguing him ever since that family meeting from a month ago. Even though the air was cleared some and Olivia was slowly rebuilding a relationship with her mother; he was having a hard time coming to grips with emotions that he didn't know he was harboring. Old insecurities of not feeling good enough were also boiling up inside of him. And instead of sharing these emotions with his wife he buried it under work, school and family time.

He never hated Olivia's mother he just didn't care for her and her behavior. But after hearing her description of who she thought he was left him feeling aggravated towards her. He knew that they were supposed to move on from that place but he couldn't help the way he felt. She described him as if he was a monster, a person hell bent on ruining Olivia's life, which was the furthest thing from the truth.

Fitz shook his head again; he needed to get his head in the game. He needed to ace his test. So he refocused his attention on the textbook and pushed Jackie to the back of his head, at least for now.

An hour later he checked his watch and saw that it was a little after 2 PM. He got up since he had to be at work for 3, closed the textbook and packed it inside his backpack before walking out the door of the UCF library and head towards his car in the students parking lot.

Later that night Fitz got home around 11: 20 PM; he was more tired than anything else. He needed to sleep but knew that wasn't happening anytime soon; he still needed to study a little bit more before he went to bed.

After taking off his sneakers at the front door and stacking them neatly to the side Fitz carried his book bag to the living room and dropped it on the lone beige sofa that decorated their living room along with two individual arm chairs – one green and the other mustard yellow. It was Olivia's choice of course; she loved bold, vibrant colors. And he had to compliment her on the choice because it looks great against their deep red walls. With his backpack now situated on the couch Fitz moved quietly to the kitchen to find something to eat. He hated eating so late but many times he couldn't help it and tonight was one of those nights. He did not had the chance to eat anything substantial since lunch so he was famished.

Looking inside of the refrigerator he was met with a Pyrex dish of meatloaf, a bowl of mashed potatoes and another bowl of sautéed vegetables. He gingerly took out each securely covered bowl and sat them on top the countertop, where he then scooped out healthy portions of the food before putting it into the microwave for 60 seconds.

Whilst he waited for the food to heat up he surveyed the drawings on the fridge that Jackson made. Tonight, he happened to notice a new one. It was mostly scratching but he could make out three stick figures, and on one of the stick figures he noticed that it carried something that looked like a circle in the belly area. He assumed that was supposed to be Olivia and her growing baby bump. She was quickly approaching the 20 weeks mark and her stomach had begun to show more visibly and Jackson was ecstatic. Occasionally he would even talk to her stomach and kept addressing the baby as his "sistaa…" They had yet to find out the sex, which will be known at their next appointment.

With thoughts of the new baby reminded Fitz that so much still needed to be done. They needed a bigger place; they were currently working out the logistics of renting a house versus buying one. Truth be told, they were not financially stable enough to buy a house. Things would be very tight if they did but that didn't stop him from trying to be a homeowner. He was truly grateful that when it came to their finances that Olivia was both responsible and understanding. He couldn't imagine how it would be if she was anything else, it probably would've stressed him out if she was one of those girls that demanded a lot of financial gains.

The ding of the microwave brought him out of his thoughts and he walked the few steps over to open the door. He took out the steaming plate of food and rested it to the side of the microwave before he returned the three bowls back to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water and closed the refrigerator's door in the process. With his plate in his left hand and bottle of water in right he made his way to the living room. Settling everything down on the mostly scarce coffee table – save for an empty oval shape, bronze colored ceramic bowl ornament; they kept the decorations to a minimum from the hands of a mischievous 2 year old.

He powered on the shared laptop he and his wife uses, perched on top of the coffee table. Signing into his school's system he pulled up the notes underneath the lesson tab and began to go over it while he ate. For the next half an hour he was deep into his studies.

His concentration was broken when he heard a chime coming from the computer. Looking over to the right side of the screen he noticed that he received a message through the chat system. The school's portal enabled students in the same class to message each other, a feature he had yet to use. His computer chimed again. It was from Emily. Shit… Fitz groaned internally. What did she want? She always tries to talk to him in class but he's always curt with her. Debating whether or not to open the message even though she could see he's online; he chose to ignore her but five minutes later another message came through.

Aggravated by the interruption Fitz decided to open the message.

Emily: Hey!

Emily: Someone is up late tonight.

Emily: What you doing? Stop ignoring me.

Fitz breathed out heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose before typing a response to her.

Fitz: Studying.

Emily: Me too. Are you ready for the test?

Fitz frowned at the quick reply; he didn't want to entertain her, he wanted her gone.

Fitz: Working on it. TTYL

Emily: Are you leaving already? Maybe we can keep each other company *pouting*

He didn't want to come off as rude but he truly needed zero interactions at the moment so he replied with a frank message.

Fitz: I'm sorry no can do. I need to focus and you're distracting me right now.

Emily: So, you can admit that I'm a distraction?

What? Umm… this is awkward, Fitz thought. What was she talking about? Is she trying to twist my words?

He didn't reply to her, thinking that the best thing at this point would be to ignore her but she sent him another message.

Emily: Well, I find you more than a bit distracting, Fitz. I can barely concentrate in class.

Fitz had had it with her. He was running on little sleep and just wanted to study and go to bed. He didn't have the time or the patience to play her games. He sent off a final message to her before closing the computer abruptly. That was it for tonight. He got up from his seat and carried the dirty dishes to the sink where he washed them and set them to dry.

He tiredly walked towards the master bedroom to retire for the night.

The next morning, Olivia was surprised to be up before Fitz. He was normally up by this time and moving around. Sensing that he was truly tired, she quietly got out of bed and padded towards the bathroom. She emptied her bladder first before walking over to the sink to brush her teeth and wash her face.

Applying a dab of toothpaste onto the white bristles of her toothbrush Olivia began stroking the toothbrush in circles across her teeth. As she brushed her teeth she regarded herself intently. Her skin was glowing more than usual; a direct result of pregnancy and her face was fuller. With her free hand she palmed her burgeoning belly.

After she finished brushing her teeth she began speaking to her belly.

"Good morning, little Grant," her just wake up voice greeted. "How did you sleep last night? Mommy can't wait to find out if you're a boy or a girl."

"I'm going to love you either ways. I already love you and can't wait to see you. But, take your time. You need to be fully ready to come meet me, your father and your brother." She chuckled at the end. She predetermined in her mind to enjoy this pregnancy because when she was pregnant with Jackson she felt so much apprehension that she hardly enjoyed it. Granted, this baby wasn't coming at an ideal time but that didn't matter. She felt like she was in a better place, emotionally and spiritually. She was happy and that transcends into her mood and into the way she interacts with her unborn child.

After washing her face with her Aveeno face wash she turned on the shower. Approximately five minutes later she exited the shower and wrapped an oversize bath towel around her body. She pat dried her skin in front of the mirror before moving to the bedroom. Upon returning to the bedroom she saw Fitz sitting up in bed with the white bed sheet covering his lower half.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she greeted brightly.

"Good morning," Fitz mumbled. She ambled over to him and planted a chaste kiss on his forehead before moving off.

"Today is the big day. Ready?" She asked, moving towards the vanity where her bottle of Aveeno lotion was standing on. She grabbed the bottle and pumped it twice, placing a liberal amount of lotion into her hand before smoothing it over her legs.

"As ready as I'll be." Fitz yawned.

After finishing her legs she rubbed the lotion onto her arms. "Well, I wish you the best honey. Why don't you get some more sleep and I'll bring Jackson in here before I leave for work?"

Fitz simply nodded his head before sliding back onto the bed and pulling the sheet completely over his head.

Olivia chuckled at his disposition and continued getting ready for work.

Twenty minutes later she was dressed in a comfortable, cotton knee length dress with cute cap sleeves and round neckline with a pair of black flats. She styled her hair in its infamous bun before applying a little mascara and her trusty Cover Girl pinkish lipstick that carried a brown tint. When she was finished dressing she was surprised to see that Fitz was still asleep, snoring even. He's really tired, she mused.

She made her way out of their bedroom and into Jackson's to wake him up, as he was also still sleeping. Her little boy looked peaceful clad in his Thomas the Train pajamas, clutching tightly onto his brown teddy bear that he insisted on sleeping with. He was lying in a fetal position with his back facing the wall; the guardrails on his big boy bed kept him secure.

Moving over to him she got down on her knees and began running her fingers through his brown curls to gently rouse him from his sleep. It was important that he didn't oversleep or else he would be grumpy.

"Jackson… wake up baby," she urged in a quiet singing voice.

He mutters and whimpers in his sleep before opening his bright brown eyes. At first he was annoyed but when he saw his mother's smiling face his expression immediately turned happy.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Olivia's soft voice cooed.

"Moor-" His yawn cut off his greeting and Olivia smiled wider. She tilted forward as far as her pregnant belly would allow and peppered his face with kisses while tickling his sides.

"Mama stopppp," he laughed.

"No, no, no," she pretended to chomp his right arm.

"Me no food," Jackson laughed even harder.

"Yes you are," Olivia returned, laughing. In the midst of laughing she stopped abruptly as a sudden bout of nausea came over her. Steadying herself and taking a deep breath she was able to detract it. Slowly rising onto her feet she stretched her left hand out for her little boy to take.

"Let's go make breakfast," she suggested and he nodded his head, moving his wild curls in the process.

Before heading to the kitchen she carried him to the guest bathroom where he emptied his bladder and washed his hands before brushing his teeth with minimal assistance from his mother. She did the final proof-brush.

"Where's dada?" Jackson asked, as they were making their way to the kitchen.

"He's sleeping," Olivia answered, leading the toddler through the living room.

"Sleeping? Still…" Jackson exclaimed, as if it was the most outlandish thing he's heard his father do.

"Yes, dada is tired and he needs his rest. You know he goes to school and work full time, plus he takes care of us. That's a lot to do," Olivia explained to her son. They were now in the kitchen.

"Dada goes to skool?" His eyes widen when he spoke.

Olivia chuckled softly at her little boy. They would go over the same conversation a thousand times and it would still come as a surprise to him.

"Yes he does, Jackson. He's going to school to be an athletic trainer," the minute she said the last part she immediately regretted it.

"What's an akle-ck-itic twain-ner?" Jackson tried his best to form the words.

Olivia tried her best not to laugh he was so darn cute. "An ath-le-tic train-er," Olivia replied, speaking the words slowly so that he could catch the proper pronunciation, but she wasn't holding her breath. "He's going to be one of those guys who looks after people when they're hurt while playing a game." She broke it down as simple as she could.

"Like meee? I get booboo when I pay with me bike. Gwama Liz say I too fwast. So dada gon help me?" He looked up at her with curious eyes.

Olivia was pleased that he understood the gist of what his father's future career entailed.

"Just like you," she said, smiling.

"That's cool..." He smiled brightly.

Surprised by his choice of words Olivia returned, "It is cool and I'm so very proud of him." She pinched her son's nose, playfully.

The duo laughed and continued their conversation; they were unaware of Fitz' presence, he was watching them from the doorway and heard what they had to say and it warmed his heart. Truly warmed it and gave him enough strength to keep going.

Later that morning Fitz was walking out of his exam. He felt a bit apprehensive coming out because a part of the exam he was completely clueless on. He couldn't recall anything on it but hoped that the parts that he did know were enough to give him a good grade.

As he was making his way to the parking lot the annoying voice of Emily came into sounding. Fitz pretended that he didn't hear her and continued walking. He'd already spoken his last piece to her last night.

"Fitz, Fitz, wait up."

"WHAT?!" He spun around, barely containing his annoyance.

She smiled meekly at him. "I just want to apologize for last night. I wasn't thinking and I'm sorry I sent you those messages. It's just that I'm going through a hard time right now. My fiancé left me and I've just been…" she trailed, choking on her tears.

Fitz felt like an ass for yelling at her but really he couldn't help her. What was it she was looking for from him?

Taking a deep breath he let go of his annoyance and allowed some form of empathy to feel for her. "Look, Emily, you seem like a nice person and all and I'm sorry that your fiancé left you. But, you can't send me messages like the ones you sent me last night. I'm a very… happily married man and they're inappropriate. So, please respect that."

"You're right and I'm sorry. I'm just so emotional." She wailed louder and threw herself at him. Fitz felt awkward having this emotional woman cling to him. Should he push her off or try to console her? He didn't know which one to do so he settled for an awkward back pat.

People began walking pass them and even some of the students from their program cast a curious glance. Fitz needed her to get a handle of her emotions because she was embarrassing them both. He gently pried her hands from gripping his T-shirt and stepped back from her.

Looking at her tears streaked face, Fitz said, "I'm sorry, I have to go." He turned around and left. Not daring to look back to see what new state she was in. She made him uncomfortable. A small part of him felt bad for leaving her while a huge part told him that it wasn't his problem. He went with the huge part of his instinct.

The weekend came and Fitz was glad to finally put his midterms behind him. With a full week off he looked forward to just relaxing with his wife and son. But the type of relaxing his wife had in mind for the day was far from what he was thinking. She suggested that they spend the day with her parents at Busch Gardens. The thought of spending his day at a theme park was enlightening but that was as far as the excitement went.

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday in central Florida, which eight out of ten times it was. The Grants had just had breakfast and were lounging around in the living room when Olivia made the suggestion.

"I don't know. I don't feel like going to Busch Gardens," Fitz replied, deflecting his true feelings.

Olivia was seated on the floor with Jackson putting together a 50-piece puzzle while he was semi-lying on the couch watching Sponge Bob on the Nickelodeon channel.

"Why not?" Olivia asked absentminded. "Look for the blue parts," she told Jackson. They were putting together a Goofy and Donald Duck puzzle.

"Otay," Jackson returned, looking for the blue color amongst the scattered pieces.

"I don't feel like dealing with the hassle, to be honest." Which was partly true, the endless lines to get onto the rides, it was just too much, even though they were yearly pass holders.

"This bwue?" Jackson held up a puzzle piece with a picture of part of Donald Duck's bright blue top.

"Good job, baby. That's blue. Hi five!" She held out her dainty hand for him to touch. He got on his knees and Hi fived his mother with his small chubby one.

"Okay, then we all can go out for dinner tonight? We don't have to go to Busch Gardens to spend some time with each other."

With her back facing the chair she didn't see the disapproving contortion on his face.

"Hello?" Olivia turned to look at him. He hadn't realized that several seconds had passed without his response. He was trying to come up with an excuse to make but couldn't find one.

With a pained smile on his face, he replied in a saccharine voice, "Sure…"

"Great, that's settled. I'll let mommy know that we can make it to Squid Lips."

Fitz was happy that she and her mother were getting along but it didn't stop him from rolling his eyes when she said mommy in a chirpy tone of voice. He wasn't used to this version of Olivia. She was the same but different.

He let out a long quiet sigh and sarcastically cheered in his mind. Great, there goes his relaxation.

Around 6 PM they pulled up to the seafood restaurant. Fitz felt a little better because he had an afternoon pick me up in the shower while Jackson was asleep. Lucky for him, Olivia's hormones were constantly raging and whenever they had time and privacy they were able to engage in marital affairs. He even had a little pep in his step as he walked to open the passenger side door for her before opening the back door and unbuckling Jackson from his car seat. When all three and a half of them were out of the car he locked it and they made their way into the restaurant.

"How do I look?" Olivia asked anxiously, smoothing out the white blouse that stopped mid thigh on her black jeans.

"Beautiful," Fitz returned with a smile.

"Sure… my top is not too tight?" she whispered.

Fitz gave her a curious look but didn't question it. "No, you're fine…"

"Thanks," she said at the same time the hostess came up to them and greeted them.

"Welcome to Squid Lips, do you have a reservation?" The petite, Asian woman asked.

"We're here with the Popes. They're already here," Fitz said and the girl checked the electronic tablet in her hands for their names.

"Yes, they're here. Follow me." Fitz held onto Jackson's hand as Olivia and the hostess led the way.

When they arrived at the table both Jackie and John were in deep conversation but immediately stopped when they saw the trio approaching the table. Both of them immediately stood to their feet to greet them.

Olivia hugged her mom first and then her dad before Jackson was hugged and kissed lavishly upon by his grandparents. After they had released the little boy from their loving grips Fitz gave John a manly hug and then moved to Jackie who had her arms open, waiting for him.

"Fitz, it's so good to see you again," she spoke enthusiastically and Fitz gave a wide, fake smile.

"Same here," he returned. When the reunion had died down they all took a seat. The ladies sat on one side of the table and the guys sat on the opposite with Jackson seated at the head of the table in a highchair.

At first an awkward silence filled the air, Fitz was sure as hell wasn't going to break it. This was their first time doing anything together since the meeting and he was slightly uncomfortable. He didn't want to do or say something that he would be judged for.

"So… how was your day?" Jackie asked, breaking the awkward silence before taking a sip from her lemon infused water.

"It was good, spent mostly relaxing. Fitz had tests all week so we decided to take it easy today," Olivia answered.

"Oh, how was that?" John pitched in.

"It was good," Fitz answered evenly.

"Think you pass them?" Jackie asked. Even though her tone was light it came across conceited to Fitz.

"We will see," Fitz returned. I bet you would like it if I failed, he thought. Get a grip Fitz she's changed. She said that she wanted to move pass from our differences. So stop dwelling on it. He mentally chastised himself but it was easier said than done.

Jackie dry chuckled, "mmm."

A friendly waiter interrupted their conversation to ask if they were ready to order appetizers. They ordered two servings of fried calamari before resuming their conversation. For the most part Fitz was contented in listening as they spoke and only chimed in when he was asked a question directly. Twenty minutes later, their conversation was briefly interrupted again when the appetizer was delivered and they placed their orders for their entrees.

The conversation resumed; at this point they were talking about the upcoming family reunion that was two months away.

"Have you made up your mind if you're going to go?" Jackie asked, popping a piece of calamari into her mouth.

Fitz locked eyes with Olivia when the question was asked. He noticed that Olivia was looking at him expectantly, since he was the one unsure of whether they should go or not. He knew that she wanted to go because of the new changes in her relationship with her mother but he wasn't sure.

Taking a sip of water he cleared his throat and said, "we're still thinking about it."

"What's there to think about?" Jackie asked.

Fitz gritted his teeth from replying aloud. There was a lot to think about and you are at the top of the list, he wanted to say.

"Liv, I'm sure you want to see your nana. She hasn't seen you in a long time and she has yet to see Jackson in person. You should go," Jackie urged.

John chimed in, "I'm sure they'll figure it out. There's still time."

Fitz was thankful for his father in law and his somewhat sixth sense that knows when to jump into an uncomfortable situation.

"Yea, we'll figure it out. Right honey?" Olivia gave him a strained smile.

"Right."

"Shit!" Everyone turned at the sound of the small voice booming the S word. Fitz was alarmed by the word and immediately began recounting in his head if he had recently used the word in front of Jackson or if he had ever used the word in front of Jackson. He couldn't remember either.

"No, no," Olivia reproach.

"Mama shit! Wook!" He repeated, pointing to the crayon that fell on the floor. Fitz saw it and picked it up and returned it onto the tray of his highchair.

"No, we do not say that," Olivia said sternly and Jackson pouted.

"Why? You sway shit."

Fitz had to stop himself from laughing out loud. Out of all the words in the English dictionary Jackson's pronunciation for "shit" was perfect. Thank God it wasn't him he heard used the word. Wooo… He breathed.

"Olivia. Why are you using such words in front of your son?" Jackie reprimanded.

"Mom, it wasn't like that. He probably heard me in passing." She quickly said. "Jackson, it's not ok for you to use that word, ok?"

"Why mama? Bwad wood?"

"Yes," Olivia replied.

"Otay," Jackson said before continuing like nothing had happen. Meanwhile his father tried his best not to laugh at the sour expression on his mother in law's face. The night was worth it after all. Jackson Thomas Grant for the win.

An hour later when they had piled into their car and was heading home Fitz finally got the opportunity to laugh as hard as possible. Every stifled laugh surrounding Jackson's mouth fart came back to him at once and he was laughing so hard that tears covered his eyes.

"You find it funny? I was mortified. I swear I was waiting for her to say something more," Olivia said, chuckling softly.

"The look on her face when he said it was priceless. Oh my gawwwd!" Fitz laughed harder.

Fitz tried to sober up since he was driving but that was a difficult task when it was so funny, so he pulled off the road and into the parking lot of a strip mall.

"Dada, pease for ice cweam?" Jackson said, seeing the giant cone on top of the Bruster's Ice Cream shop through the car window.

At this point Fitz would give his little boy anything. Turning to Olivia he asked, "ice cream?"

He looked at the time and saw that it was quickly approaching 9.

"Why not?" She returned.

"Alright. Ice cream time, J-man!" Jackson squealed and threw both his chubby arms into the air.

Ten minutes later they were sitting outside in the small eating area on a washed out, green, picnic style table and bench. There was another family with two children sitting at the other picnic style table and bench. Fitz and Olivia held their cones while Jackson's was inside a cup to lessen the mess that was bound to happen.

"Can I ask you something?" Olivia asked Fitz, taking a lick of her strawberry shortcake ice cream.

"Sure."

"Are you comfortable with my mom? Tonight I noticed you look rather uncomfortable."

Fitz looked at the nearby street where the light had just turned green and the cars were beginning to drive off. How can he answer that? He thought.

"You want the truth?"

Olivia nodded her head, "I want the truth."

"Dada wook!" Jackson interrupted; he pointed at the moving car that had neon green lights on the bottom.

"Pretty cool," Fitz returned.

"Uh huh," Jackson said before returning to feeding himself with the chocolate chip ice cream while swinging his legs back and forth on the same bench as his mother.

"I'm not," Fitz returned his attention on Olivia. "I'm trying to, but I have so much feelings brewing inside of me. It's one thing to hear through the grapevine that someone doesn't like you but another thing when the person says it to your face. And before you say it, I know she doesn't hate me based on what she said but that doesn't make it easier. I just don't understand why she thinks I'm a monster. Is it because I don't go to church? Am I a monster to you? Are you frustrated with me because I don't go to church with you and Jackson?" These were all questions that were torturing him.

Olivia reached over the table with her free hand and grabbed his in hers.

"In regards to my mother I know how you're feeling because I feel the same way. Maybe I'm better at coping with my emotions because I know her longer than you; but I still hold my breath and wait for the other shoe to drop. Even though we had an emotional reunion that still doesn't erase the years of hurt she caused and to tell you the truth, I'm still trying to move on from that hurt. Every time she opens her mouth I still hold my breath because I'm unsure if she's going to try and insult me; I brace myself in advance for it. These are real feelings and I can understand if you're not ready to go there as yet. And you could never, ever, ever… be a monster. A monster doesn't have a kind, loving and caring heart like you do. "

Fitz was blown away by her acceptance; he actually thought that she would be pushing him to have a relationship with her mother. He was pleasantly surprised and it showed on his face.

"Don't look at me like that," she said, smirking at him. Moving an unruly lock of hair behind her ear, she continued, "You, him," she pointed her chin at a contended Jackson with ice cream all over his chin and hands, "this baby and God are what matters the most to me."

"Thank you for saying that and for being there for me. One thing this year has thought me, is that you're an incredible woman and I'm glad you have my back. You're my inspiration Livvie, and I love you so much. I couldn't ask for a better life partner."

Olivia became teary-eyed when he spoke.

"The level of patience and understanding you show me keeps me going and it makes me want to be better. And I'm working on being better. For me, for you and for our kids."

"That's all I want for you baby, I'm so proud of you. For everything you're doing. I see you working hard while going to school, on top of being here for Jackson and me. I want you to know that I see your efforts and I'm so stinking proud of you, Fitz."

Fitz felt like someone was pouring cold water on his parched lips when she spoke those words. It was music to his ears and it made him feel loved, wanted, valued and appreciated. It made him feel whole…

With no words to say he made his way over to the other side of the table and sat on the end of the bench and hugged her tightly to his chest. Jackson who was seated next to his mother joined in the hug and in his haste let go of the melted cup of ice cream, spilling the cold watery substance all over his parents.

"Jackson!" they groaned simultaneously before bursting into laughter.

A/N: I enjoyed writing growth for this couple. Their communication level has definitely gotten better which is a plus. So, this chapter was mostly Fitz centric. I wanted to highlight his thoughts and struggles, especially with trying to juggle work, school and family.

Even though they had an emotional reunion he's still not fully here for Jackie. Ha! Can't say that I blame him. Thoughts on the new Jackie and their dinner? Jackson said, "shit," she was lucky he didn't drop the F bomb. LOL

One word, Emily? Mmmm. What you all think of her?

Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter.

Until next time,

XOXO

PS: Check out my new one shot, Crazy in Love.